Devotion.al

Tag: freedom

  • Purple Vision

    Purple Vision

    Numbers 27:15–23; 2 Timothy 2:8–13

    Having worked for family-owned and -run businesses, I know that one of the business’ concerns is, who’s next? Perhaps it might be better to say that the of a family-owned and -run business is who will successfully lead it with vision and tenacity once the current leadership steps down.

    I have seen it work well. I have seen it work not-so-well. One business had a plan, and the other business made laissez-faire assumptions.

    Moses had spent a lot of time getting the Israelites to the Promised Land. He had been frustrated, belittled, and probably cursed by the same Israelites. He still wanted them to succeed in the Promised Land. So, Moses asked God for the next leader.

    God selected Joshua. Now, it could be said that this was obvious, as other than Aaron, only Joshua is noted as Moses’ aide, and even accompanied Moses when he received the Ten Commandments. Joshua, as Moses’ aide, indeed saw the dark side of leading the Israelites.

    I think it is appropriate to presume that God had guided Moses’ selection of Joshua, thus make Joshua the “obvious” choice. On the other hand, we could also presume that Moses’ experience in Pharaoh’s house would have taught Moses how to choose a leader, and then God used that.

    Who was next to lead would set the Israelites for success or failure in the Promised Land.

    In some respects, that is the same view many people have of the incoming Presidential administration and the Congressional seating. Success or failure. In a republic, it’s a little harder to really hit that success or failure button (though pundits try).

    As we look at the days, months, and years to follow this election, we all need to ask ourselves about a few things. For the last few election cycles, the country has been color-coded with red and blue. The animosity between red and blue is approaching that of the Bloods and Crypts from decades ago, who differentiate themselves by red or blue.

    Wearing the wrong colors in the wrong neighborhood was a recipe for being harmed by the other gang’s members. Now people are being assaulted by the “opposing” group just for wearing t-shirts, hats, or participating in their constitutionally protected right to protest.

    There has been a centrist movement calling itself “purple”. However, there is something ironic in that. This mix of red and blue representation of republic political alignment has a completely different meaning…royalty.

    Theoretically, the War of Independence was intended to “free” the American colonies from the oppression of British royalty. Instead, we developed an elected aristocracy.

    There is one good thing, though, about the purple. Who we recognize as royalty, who we recognize as king makes all the difference. When we recognize and believe the Christ is King, we can gladly declare ourselves purple, for we seek to follow the True King.

    ※Reflection※

    What will it take, do you think, for conversations on politics to be purple first, rather than last? What is one behavior or of yours was not purple during this recent political season? How can you develop a practice of purple thoughts and speech, rather than red or blue?

    ※Prayer※

    Lord, you are the King of the Universe. Through you, came into being. Only you are of our and praise. Thank you for us the freedom to choose. Thank you for loving us enough so that through the , we can become wise. Amen.

  • A Promise

    A Promise

    Isaiah 44:21–28; Ezekiel 34:25–31; Mark 14:22–26

    . We are called on to remember things every day. Some have become so ingrained (putting undergarments, I ) that we don’t actually remember them; we just do them.

    Like many things that are ingrained, aren’t. We might take them for granted, but that doesn’t make them ingrained.

    Isaiah’s to the descendants of Jacob was REMEMBER! Remember God, who formed them, called them and redeemed them. They needed to be reminded…again.

    This time, they are called to celebrate. Celebrate freedom. Celebrate redemption. Celebrate a with God.

    The unfolding of their redemption, eventually, results in a new covenant of . This new covenant was to change the very face of the Promised Land.

    The promise of this covenant was delivered while talking about their return from captivity and exile. This makes the promise sure, as they were indeed delivered. So, where was the fulfillment of this new covenant?

    We Christians say that of course, it is Jesus. Jesus’ life and death personified the concepts of relationship and redemption. The Resurrection is the exclamation point of the promise in Ezekiel.

    In the , the lion and the lamb lie down together.

    ※Reflection※

    For you, what is the most important fact about God’s promises? Why?

    ※Prayer※

    God, you have been faithful to us, even when we wander. We you praise, glory, and thanks for your -filled . Amen.

  • Freely Abiding

    Freely Abiding

    Titus 3:1–11

    The next wave is coming. All around the globe, the next wave of COVID is coming. Countries that thought they were done are back to a true lockdown state. In the US, certain states are returning to more limited engagements.

    It’s hard for those of us in the US. We really do not understand, or even often accept, these limitations. So much of our cultural heritage is of movement for the individual and the freedom of association.

    Christians used to be known as the ones who would take care of the unwell. Christians would take care of plague victims. Christians are the reason that hospitals and care homes even exist.

    Now, however, we find ourselves in a weird place. Society has declared that the better thing is for us to isolate ourselves from one another. Society does have a point. Yet, humanity cannot exist for long in isolation without some sort of outlet. Christians have long stood in the gap.

    What has become the hot button US issue has become the impact upon the freedom to practice our . Like every other , our gathering sizes are being limited. We are not alone.

    What we have, though, is an interesting conflict. There are now heated exchanges within communities about what a is. The long-term ramifications of this situation remain to be played out.

    ※Reflection※

    When it comes to faithful witness, is your initial following the authorities, or freely expressing your understanding of freedom of religion? What are the weaknesses and strengths of both approaches? How can we the expressions of one another as faithful followers of Christ?

    ※Prayer※

    Lord, help us to be faithful to you and full of , , and understanding of . Amen.

  • Yieldingly Strong

    Yieldingly Strong

    Malachi 1:6–14; 1 Peter 2:1–10

    Many years ago, there was a Star Trek show called Voyager. Overall, I don’t remember much about it, but I do recall this scene between Neelix (guest onboard) and Tuvok (i.e., Vulcan, humorless, emotionless, kind of like a robot):

    NEELIX: These are Keela flowers. Beautiful, and remarkably strong. The stem is flexible, impossible to break. But occasionally on the same plant there’s a bloom whose stem is not so flexible. Ah, here’s one. And when the stem is brittle, it breaks.

    TUVOK: You’re saying that the Maquis crew is rigid and inflexible. That they will never adjust to Starfleet rules.

    NEELIX: No, Mister Vulcan, I’m saying that you are rigid and inflexible, but maybe if you’d learn to bend a little, you might have better luck with your class. Those Maquis aren’t Starfleet cadets. You can’t treat them the same way. Get to know them, try to find out what they’re like inside. You might discover a better teaching method.

    “Learning Curve”, Original Airdate: May 22, 1995 (Stardate -327613). Thanks to www.chakoteya.net for the transcript.

    The Maquis were an insurrection/guerilla group. Their methods of instruction and obedience were not the military-style of Starfleet. Tuvok learned one way. He taught one way. Rigidly.

    However, the Maquis were just as rigid. It was just that they rigidly didn’t want to be like Starfleet

    What on earth (or in space) does this have to do with these passages?

    According to Peter, we are the priesthood of all believers. I may have a certain role within that priesthood (as an ordained person). You have one too.

    The ultimate purpose of the priests is the be the intercessors between “the people” and God. For Christians, “the people” are the world that does not yet believe in Christ.

    The priests, however, have their own relationship with God. In our case (the collective Christian case), we are called to give of ourselves: , time, talent, and so on. It’s too rigid to say it is “required”. On the other hand, it is a spiritual .

    When we do not give of ourselves, or we do it grudgingly, we are the ones called out by Malachi giving deformed useless sacrifice for the sake of a check .

    In regard to our Christian , there is a rigidity in sacrifice. That is one of the aspects of a mature Christian, self-sacrifice. It’s odd to say it is not required; on the other hand, it is essential.

    The flexibility, however, is in how it works out. You could be gifted with teaching, encouragement, , or something else. Freedom from the Law is how we are free to to God and to through love.

    ※Reflection※

     The question for you isn’t, are you gifted? The question is, what are you gifted in? The next question is like it; how will you use that for the community of believers around you?

    ※Prayer※

    Creator, you have made each of us different so that only together can reflect your infinite love. Amen.

  • Path Lighting

    Path Lighting

    Joshua 4:1–7; Joshua 8:30–35; Proverbs 27:17

    What do you ? What “traditions” or practices do you remember from your childhood? What did that teach you?

    Over the years, the universal developed many practices to teach the faith to its people. It often had a hard journey, as it had to teach people from varying walks of to be one with each other. It often had to surmount the lack of general education for centuries.

    Many of these practices are no longer used. Many have lost the intent, and even the instruction that went with them. They became empty words. Valuable was lost because people failed to teach well.

    As we each go to church, whether online or in person, or whether we only listen to sermons or we add life groups, we each have a responsibility to and to teach. Often, we look to experts to train us. However, the experts are, well, experts. Experts often get lost in their expertise and then they can no longer translate their expertise to the non-expert.

    In many respects, from a personal perspective, that may be part of the current state of the church. Perhaps we have left too much to the experts and not sharpened ourselves.

    Of course, there is danger in such . There is a balance of some sort between expert and non. We may well be in a place and time where we need to discover what that balance is.

    The passages from Joshua are just 2 passages where something was done to teach. The first was the pile of stones from the middle of the Jordan river. Yes, 12 stones pulled from the bottom of spring flood raging river. This pile of stones became a physical place of teaching.

    “Look at that river! God made it so our ancestors could cross it on dry land.” Imagine a young child with the of the waters being told the story of the stones while seeing that river. That would certainly be formative. This is the kind of thing ideal in the informal settings of Life Groups.

    The second passage is Joshua repeating the Law that they had been given. It was a reminder of who they were. The Law wasn’t just rules and regulations, it was their identity. In many respects, this is the more formal aspect of preaching and Sunday School.

    The question that we each need to ourselves: is our faith important enough to us to learn?

  • Cast Off

    Cast Off

    Matthew 23:13-15; Acts 15:1–22; Colossians 2:4–13 

    There is no question about ‘ attitude toward the scribes and the Pharisees in this verse. It seems pretty straightforward. What if it isn’t? What if Jesus was instead using their language in a way so as to make a point? 

    The Pharisees, with their belief in the afterlife, would certainly not want to be headed for Hell. They intended to go to Heaven. Jesus told them that while they think they are the bouncers for God, they’re not getting in either. There was probably some dismay there. 

    Jesus piled on with the various traditions (versus Biblical law) that the Pharisees and the scribes held everyone accountable for. Frankly, it was unbearable. That was Jesus’ point. They held onto traditions that made their lives Hell on earth. Jesus made it clear that it also prevented them from Heaven.  

    Jesus knew their hearts were stubborn. His greater concern was not them, but all those they dragged along with them. The concern for people who were now burdened with more than their hearts could bear. What if they decided they would rather be Hell-bound than bound with all the rules and traditions that made the they were hellish? 

    Sounds extreme, but this was exactly Peter’s point to the elders of the Jerusalem church. They and their ancestors could not withstand the misery. The people that were being drawn to the and grace of Jesus Christ were being threatened with rules and traditions! Most of them the same that they (of Jewish descent) wanted to be freed from, and who believed that Jesus had done so! 

    Paul often had to deal with the Judaizers who kept trying to bring Jewish customs into the community and imposing them on Gentiles. It made Paul quite angry at times. 

    You may have run across Christians who try to follow some of the Jewish law (particularly the dietary ones). They were free of the Law before they were born yet seek to be bound by laws that were not theirs to bear. 

    This is also something we need to be careful of ourselves. One of the big lessons of many missionaries was trying to impose Western thinking on non-Westerners. Western thinking got tied into the message of Jesus Christ, often putting burdens (things we would think of as burdens) on people that the did not them to bear. 

    The church in the Western world is fading. Ultimately, it must rediscover what it means to evangelize and be missional. Of course, the biggest group to which we must be missional are the people we are already comfortable with. We do not look at them with missionary eyes. We are too close. Even more than the Jews had to cast of their traditions, we may have to cast off much of what “makes” us Westerners so that we can be the messengers of salvation to our neighbors. 

    ※Questions※

    1) What might be your cultural blind spots that weaken your ability to evangelize? 

    2) How does our Western culture in ways similar to the Jewish laws of old? 

    ※Prayer※

    Lord, soften our hearts and open our minds. May we feel your love for others and to ourselves for the sake of others’ salvation. Amen. 

  • Living

    Living

    Deuteronomy 5:26–27; Ezekiel 33:11; Luke 20:34–40; John 5:39–40; John 8:56–58

    A God? To many people today, God is just a fairy tale who belongs amongst the pages of Grimm’s fairy tales and folklore. For them, God is no different than the ancient Roman and Greek gods, and of no greater value (perhaps even less) than the Hindu gods.

    Yesterday’s devotional was about the we are called to make. While the devotional didn’t talk about our common failures in being good and faithful witnesses, most of us realize that we have messed up more than a few times.

    Being faithful often means being humble when we fail, requiring us to be honest with ourselves and . That can be difficult. Being open (and thus vulnerable) about our flaws sometimes requires greater than we are capable of on our own.

    Our witness requires greater strength than it used to. Our witness requires greater vulnerability than it used to. Our witness requires greater transparency than it used to.

    The concept (our reality) of a living God allows us the to breathe in the pressure of the “greaters”. Our God is greater still than the greatest Created thing or person.

    When we understand that God is a God of the living it helps to put a few things into . It wasn’t a small thing that observed that God named Abraham, Isaac, and Joseph in the present tense. When we focus on the dead and what comes after, or even what came before, we don’t live in the fullness of the that has been given to us.

    This is, even more, the case when we talk about the . People dig into the Scriptures to know more about God. People dig into the Scriptures to deny God. Even those of Jesus’ day who knew the Scriptures well were unable to see the living God before them. While the Scriptures are living and active, they are living and active only because of the living God.

    A living God means that God is not sitting on the sidelines. God works in and among and through .

    ※Questions※

    1) How does God being living affect your daily walk with God?

    2) Especially when it comes to Jesus, but not only, why is “living” so important?

    3) Have you ever known someone who was “alive”, but who wasn’t living? Do you think they knew Jesus?

    ※Prayer※

    God of the living and breathing Creation, help to know to the depths of our souls that you are living and breathing in us. Amen.

  • Chained or Unchained

    Chained or Unchained

    Deuteronomy 27:12–28:1; John 8:31–40; Galatians 3:7–14

    There are many wonderful things in life that begin well and then become dead weight. Buying a house is one of those. We are now in an era when people buy houses and pay against a large debt for 15–30 years. It doesn’t take too long for the joy of home “owning” to be faced with the frustrations of maintenance, flaws, age, vision changes, life changes, and so on. It doesn’t have to be a house. It could be a car. It could be student loans. It could be your job.

    The Law wasn’t intended to be life-. It was intended as God-oriented protection. If you followed the law, there was a framework that guided one into a life.

    Somehow this became twisted, and the Law became life.

    “Whoever does not put this law into practice is cursed.” (Deuteronomy 27:26)

    This does not say that the Law is life. It says that not following the Law results in bad consequences. Within the Law there were “resets” built in. Sins, errors in judgment could be dealt with. Life could on.

    However, there is a difference when it is a lifestyle. This is not about ignorance. This is not about an unbeliever. This is about those who declare God their God and live in such a way that they have not put God first in their lives.

    What becomes the struggle is “proving” that God is first in our lives. Often, we “prove” it by living a more “holy” life. The Church of the Nazarene, for example, was long known for its stances against , smoking, and dancing. Not doing these things was the mark of “” but is what the areas of broken where these things occurred that was the real issue.

    When holiness (or the appearance thereof) become chains rather than freedom, then holiness has become the Law. If that is the case, then that might make a lie out of, “who the sets free is free indeed,” because then, it seems, we want to find new chains to live in.

    ※Questions※

    1) What are some Christian “rules” that you can think of? How do you think they became rules?

    2) What rules can you think of that were intended to “give” or “preserve” life, but ended up chaining it? Does that make the rule bad?

    3) What is a rule that you wish wasn’t a family rule? Why?

    ※Prayer※

    , you called us to a life of following you. Help up discern freedom from chains as we try to follow your way. Amen.