Devotion.al

Tag: fulfilled

  • Your Contentment

    Your Contentment

    Psalm 111; Genesis 18:1–15; Philippians 4:10–20

    One of the harder things about being a is that God often doesn’t our ‘s desires. We describe God as good, loving, , and many other positive traits. Yet, the giving (or lack thereof) often gets in the way of our understanding of God’s goodness, loving, and giving nature.

    Abraham and Sarah are the case in point. Do we really think that Abraham and Sarah haven’t been praying and pleading for a child up until now? Of course not! By this point, though, all common sense of being able to have a child has been . Perhaps (though the Bible doesn’t say) Sarah had already completed menopause. What hope, from a human , could there be?

    Yet, Abraham didn’t stop himself from having God at the center of his life (which also doesn’t mean that he stopped making mistakes). We have all known people, perhaps even ourselves, who longed for a child of their own but may have had a long road of sadness and heartbreak. Some may have ended up with children of their own. Some may have adopted. Others may have to invest in the children of others.

    Contentedness, however, is something altogether different…maybe.

    was content. His heart was focused on something different, and that’s okay. There is often a focus on Paul’s content that is not in line with…Paul’s content. Paul’s focus was his testimony and the Christian communities he left behind. He was content that he had done his best, and content in his place in God’s plan.

    It is possible to be content while striving for something. Even Paul continued to strive for the and dealt with the heartache for his distant communities as they struggled.

    There is another way to view “content”, accepting circumstances with an open and loving heart. It includes God. This understanding of content allows recognition that not everything is as it should be, so that there is room for improvement. This could also be understood as not allowing the circumstances to poison your heart against God or others.

    ※Reflection※

    • How have you understood content in the context of a Christian life? How does the world understand content?
    • How do we often allow circumstances to poison our hearts against God?
    • What has been (or is) the biggest issue in your life that caused (or causes) struggles in your content?

    ※Prayer※

    As for me, I will be vindicated and will see your face; when I awake, I will be satisfied with seeing your likeness. Amen. (Psalm 17:15, NIV)

  • Promising Places

    Promising Places

    Psalm 119:81–88; Jeremiah 16:14–21; John 7:1–9

    Every has a formative episode. The episodes can be one that is event (i.e., the signing of the Declaration of Independence) or it can be natural (i.e., the New Year) or it can even be invented (there are a lot of those).

    These formative episodes often become dramatic retellings of . They form identity. Often, however, the dark sides of those events are often glossed over. Many patriotic events gloss over crimes against humanity, war, bloodshed, of innocents.

    Egypt had been that for Israel. Joseph’s story from slave to (second only to Pharaoh), and thus bringing Israel in on a powerful note. Then their time in Egypt as home. Then their transformation from power and to slavery. Then from slavery to freedom out of Egypt. Even for Solomon, Egypt remained a key piece of Israelite identity.

    Depending on how we read it, it would seem that part of the reason that God was allowing the exile was not just a consequence of and rebellion, it was a reshaping of the people of Israel. The formative event was to be the return from exile, rather than escape from Egypt and all the baggage that came with it.

    The exile, in other words, was to be a time of purification. It was also a time of reorientation. The Promised Land was only a dream in Egypt. The Promised Land was a memory in exile.

    ※Reflection※

    • Have you ever had a “Promised Land” dream? What was it like? Has it been ?
    • Do you have a “Promised Land” memory? What was it like? Is currently part of your , or is it in the past? If it is in the past, could you return? What would it be like?
    • What are personal events that have formed you in such a way as to have changed the path you took in life?

    ※Prayer※

    Lord, our past shapes us. You graced us with the freedom to not be defined by it, except by your will. us the to see the next Promised Land you have for us. Amen.

  • All About Me

    All About Me

    Psalm 130: Genesis 3:8–15; 2 Corinthians 4:13–5:1; Mark 3:20–35

    Self-examination is probably one of the hardest practices. It is probably also the one most needed today. When we do our self-examination properly, we are better equipped to recognize some issues we have that inhibit our continued transformation into the likeness of Christ.

    First, the . Paraphrasing the psalmist, God forgives. God forgives a lot. In regard to God’s promise, that promise was ultimately by Jesus. Through Jesus, we are gifted a way to approach God that those before did not have. Through Jesus, we are graced with being able to approach God in ways that those around us (that don’t know Jesus) cannot understand.

    From the passage of Genesis, we can see a number of issues that we can also see in ourselves. Only the serpent didn’t point at someone else. You might that there was no one else to blame, except that there was. The serpent could have blamed God with blaming God for making the serpent. Humans use that argument all the time.

    While we often use and this particular aspect as blaming , there is also the aspect of the stance that the others’ sins being greater than our own. This is something of which we are all guilty and thus all the church as a whole. Self- allows us to see this in ourselves, and then bring Christ to the fore of our thoughts and reactions, rather than ourselves.

    The situation surrounding Jesus—where his called him crazy and the legal experts accused him of being possessed by or in league with Satan—seems to be (especially for the legal expert) more of a look at him (Jesus), don’t look at me, but look at me being all and concerned. As we about our daily lives, it is easy to be swept up in the emotions of the moment. Unless those emotions are truly of God, they can sweep us into places that lead us away from God. Often they come from a place of self-preservation. This is why establishing a practice of self-reflection is an important practice for us to develop.

    ※Reflection※

    • When was the last time you reviewed your responses through the lens of Christ?
    • Why do you the practice of self-reflection needs to be regular (even daily)?

    ※Prayer※

    Lord, help us to be shaped by you. Amen.

  • Utopia Maybe

    Utopia Maybe

    Psalm 29; Isaiah 2:1–5; Romans 8:9–11

    The statistics don’t seem promising. The percentage of regular church-goers has been falling generation by generation for the last four generations. While the percentage of Americans that say they are is high (relatively), a very high percentage of them say isn’t that important to them, and all religions are the same.

    The usual accusation is that it is a significant cultural shift that is at fault. There is truth in that. There is also a denial of reality. Culture is always shifting. Sometimes it is slow. Sometimes it is fast. As we look around the world in places like China and India, there are fast and slow cultural shifts. The problem with this accusation is that it ignores the self. Without introspection and honest self-evaluation, the church will see the number decline.

    This sounds depressing. It is, and it should be. We are called to be the to the world as ambassadors of Jesus Christ. In many, perhaps even most, respects, the church has been (culture) warrior first and ambassador a distant last.

    The is that God isn’t done—not with the world and not with us.

    The triumph and of the passage of Isaiah is palpable. All nations would (willingly, longingly) submit to God. God would judge between nations echoes how the Israelite priests were to judge between the Israelite tribes and members. It foreshadows that all of humanity, not just the Israelites, would be equal before God.

    The last piece always catches my attention in this passage. When I was a child, my mom had a button that said, “swords into plowshares.” She had joined (?) an arms reduction organization of some sort and explained weapons (tools of death) being transformed into agricultural tools (tools of life). Regardless of one feels about war (just war or not) or policing (or its abolishment), the concept of sword into plowshare is powerful. Humanity would no longer feel the need for war, for their deepest needs were being filled by God.

    The selflessness that Paul alludes to comes from this same basic concept…the fallen nature of humanity to strive upon the backs of is contrary to God’s desire for his . It isn’t merely weapons of war. This can include anything from cars to homes, to stuff, to power. It covers that which we seek to fill needs that ultimately will be filled by God.

    While we can look at Isaiah’s passage as a human utopia, that isn’t it. We can look at Paul’s compliments of the Romans as , it isn’t that (it is, but it isn’t). What we see in both passages is that being by God leads to us being fulfilled by others and seeking to fulfill others. Sounds pretty nice.

    ※Reflection※

    • Where do you see the vision of Isaiah being fulfilled in your life?
    • Where do you see the vision of Paul being fulfilled in your life?

    ※Prayer※

    Lord, help us to bring “your come” in the one area we can with your help…ourselves. Amen.

  • Nice Dirt

    Nice Dirt

    Psalm 33:12–22; Genesis 2:4b–7; 1 Corinthians 15:42–49

    It is doubtful that many (if any) people think humanity has it all . There is the cynical quip that the greatest proof of intelligent in the universe is that they haven’t contacted us. Regardless of your political orientation and whether US or world, there is no question that humanity is a complete and utter mess, and you may think that is generous.

    What is amazing about the conclusion is that it crosses political, religious, ethnic, national lines. Even more amazing is that most of us seem to operate in a world where we primarily function the work of other people that we don’t even know. Think about that. We know how messed up we are. We’re pretty sure that there are as messed up (or more) than we are. And we’re pretty sure that the messed up people outnumber the not messed up ones.

    Yet, there is something that still draws us to rely on (dare we say, trust) others that we do not know. Perhaps it is our recognition that despite all our differences, we are all beings.

    This Genesis describes humanity as made from dirt and after being molded by God, the of life was put into it, and humanity was made. Dirt, just like the dirt we walk on. Genesis says we are that dirt.

    While the dirt was the beginning, it is not (quite) the end. For having the spirit of God inside of us, giving us life, tells us that the dirt is not all.

    Dirt isn’t all bad. Have you seen the mountains? The stuff much of our food grows from is dirt. The rest of our food eats from what grows from dirt, too. How goes the little kids’ saying go? “God made dirt and dirt don’t hurt.” Not quite true (having been hit with hardened clods of it), but dirt still is of God and by God.

    On the other hand, dirt is not quite the ideal. Paul notes that “flesh” will decay. Basically, the earthly stuff goes away. Dirt will go away.

    Except, that upon our resurrection, the body that was dirt and placed in dirt becomes transformed. It is “transfigured” beyond what dirt is capable of doing in our limited experience. Through the resurrection, dirt becomes both completely different and yet becomes its most fulfilled self.

    Yes, it’s hard to grasp. We do, however, have an example to look at, and that is Jesus Christ. Jesus is God and human. What exactly our resurrected-body-transformation will be? It’s a philosophical and even theological argument that will have no resolution on this side of life.

    On this side of life, though, Paul’s along with Genesis can tell us why we have managed to not destroy each other, God’s breath is in us. It is not us. It is God.

    ※Reflection※

    • Why do think that it is important to that we will be transformed, as we interact with the world?
    • Who are people you rely on? Why? What places them in a place of trust?

    ※Prayer※

    Lord, we see many things wrong in the world. However, your goes before us all. Help us to see, find, and your grace with others. Amen.

  • Go and (p)Reach

    Go and (p)Reach

    Psalm 4; Luke 24:36b-48; Acts 3:12-19; 1 John 3:1-7

    The disciples are still struggling with the . You’d think they’d have accustomed themselves to Jesus being alive, but they were obviously still struggling. As part of this last appearance, Jesus explained the and His place in them. This is not the first time he did this after the Resurrection.

    This time, though, it comes with a command, to preach the Resurrection and a change of heart and life for the forgiveness of . This mission doesn’t start immediately. It has to until the heavenly power comes (the Holy Spirit at ).

    Waiting in Jerusalem, however, does not mean being inactive. Peter’s healing of the lame man (Acts 3:1-10) opened the door (so to speak) to begin the mission. Peter tells his listeners what it is all about, “But this is how God fulfilled what he foretold through all the prophets: that his Christ would suffer. Change your hearts and lives! Turn back to God so that your sins may be wiped away.” (Acts 3:18-19, CEB)Much later, John wrote that we have hope in Jesus as we (progressively) purify ourselves (so as to become more Christ-like). This reflects the changing of hearts that Jesus and Peter made known.

    Jesus’ and Peter’s declarations could also be restated as it is in Matthew 28:19–20, “…go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything that I’ve commanded you…” [CEB]While the passage in Matthew could be interpreted as only applying to the disciples, the passage from Luke cannot be (without serious contortions). The changed heart is also consistent across the Scriptures.

    We are all called to tell the world about Jesus, sin, , and the place of changed hearts in all of that. In the current culture, we are having to learn how to do this well. Sadly, we are in the midst of getting rid of the baggage that we’ve been carrying, and that is painfully difficult. So much so, that most of us no longer have effective tools or methods to reach (and “preach to”) others.

    In all likelihood, the Western Church will have to relearn how to live in a true and deep community. We have all become accustomed to the shallow community of the Western Church, not the fellowship as described in the Scriptures.

    This does not excuse any of us from looking for opportunities to talk about the of Jesus Christ and the change in our hearts. Perhaps, rather than excuse it, it should drive us more.

    ※Reflection※

    • Are you doing anything that resembles telling the world about Jesus in the way Jesus talks about in Luke?
      • If you are, it going?
      • If you aren’t, why not?
    • In regard to telling the world, is it your responsibility or someone else’?

    ※Prayer※

    Almighty God, you gave your only Son to be for us both a for sin and an example of godly : Give us grace thankfully to receive his inestimable benefits, and daily to follow the blessed steps of his most holy life; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. [Third Sunday of Easter Collect, Book of Common Prayer 2019]

  • Mud or Glory

    Mud or Glory

    Jeremiah 29:1–14

    Bittersweet seems to be the sentiment of these verses. Sweet for God “sees” the Israelites in exile, and provides them a . Bitter for the reason that the promise will only be after a long time in exile.

    From the of Genesis to the beginning of Exodus is around 400 years, with the 430 years being the final tally of Israel’s time in Egypt. During this time there is no mention of God and the Israelites. The Israelites’ time in Egypt started well, but by the time of Exodus, it was a of slavery.

    There is a huge difference between the two situations. Many commentators posit that the reason for Israel’s time in Egypt was to ween them from the Canaanite religions, especially as a precursor to claiming the Promised Land (where the Canaanites lived).

    This time their exile was shorted, but perhaps it was more dangerous; dangerous to the of their with God. There was a warning about not listening to false prophets. In particular, these false prophets were promising that everything would be fine, and all would be restored.

    (I’m not sure if they were asking for political donations, but sure sounds like far too many campaign promises.)

    One would that the promise of God would forestall such people and would keep people from following them. Humans are weak, however. They will fall prey to many.

    The message of hope that Christians ought to be wearing proudly as cloaks of have been muddied and stained over the years. The last four were the culmination of it. It was never that all of a sudden we chose the mud over the hope; it was that the mud became our hope. The cloaks lost their brilliance. The world lost a lot of hope.

    You may feel that the last four years were a mess of misery. You may feel that the next four will be as bad, or even worse. That’s the mud.

    Let’s let God clean off our mud again. Amen.

  • Funny Smelling

    Funny Smelling

    Exodus 30:22–38; Acts 22:2–16

    Have you ever had the experience of a particular smell, either good or bad, that triggers memories? There are a number of smells that will trigger memories of my grandparents’ house. My daughter has also shared experiences where certain smells trigger her memories, and they are often of her grandma’s house (my mom).In many respects, the smells from my childhood create almost a homesickness. There was something deeply contentful about those smells and the feelings invoked. I can’t imagine not having them.

    God provided a recipe for a very special—a holy—. So special that it’s only time of use was in the temple. It was just incense. Incense is nothing special.

    God made it so. Likely, it was set apart so that the smell became associated with the God and being in God’s presence.

    Imagine a rough, horrible day that you found nothing good in. Because you have to, and only because you have to culturally, you go to the temple. You smell the incense. If you’re like me, that smell would trigger the , God is here.

    Because incense was a familiar thing, this special recipe had to be , so that even the common could be holy.

    Sometimes normal things, sometimes odd things, sometimes even people who are the “enemy” are set aside to do God’s will.

    Paul was the enemy, until he wasn’t. Paul was going about his normal business, and then Jesus came to him in a vision.

    While it might seem strange to combine the Law of incense with the story of Paul’s , the reality is that God often defies our logic. God sees beyond the human vision that we have. Paul, in many respects, was transformed from the “common” (the Law abiding Jew) to the “uncommon” (called by Jesus). Paul’s very became the startling transformation from persecutor to proclaimer.

    Just as being set aside, the “common” incense became uncommon, and thus a testimony of God and to God’s presence. So, too, Paul’s life became the transformative testimony (even without words) of what God can do for the world, if the world chooses to hear.

    ※Reflection※

    In your life, has there been any common thing that has become a symbol of God (or God’s presence) for you? Why?

    ※Prayer※

    Lord, you have called to follow you. Help us to be willing to be uncomfortable in that call. You have not called us to an easy life. You have called us to a fulfilled life in you. us your , , , and most of all, courage, to be the light. Amen.