Devotion.al

Tag: gentleness

  • Reconciling Fruit

    Reconciling Fruit

    Psalm 144; Isaiah 27:1–6; 2 Corinthians 5:17–21 (ISV)

    In times to come, Jacob will take root,
       and Israel will blossom, sprout shoots,
       and fill the whole world with fruit.

    Isaiah 27:6 ISV

    All of this comes from God, who has reconciled us to himself through the Messiah and has given us the ministry of reconciliation,

    2 Corinthians 5:18 ISV

    Reconciliation: the of reconciling and/or the state of being reconciled.

    ‌Reconcile/reconciled/reconciling
    ‌1a) to restore to or harmony
    ‌1b) settle or resolve (differences)
    ‌2) to make consistent or congruous
    ‌3) to cause to submit to or accept something unpleasant.
    ‌4a) to check (a financial record) against another for accuracy
    ‌4b) to account for

    Merriam-Webster.com

    ⁜Focus⁜

    ‌The (or God’s) fruit of reconciliation should fill the whole world, and we are to be the fruit.

    ⁜Devotion⁜

    ‌Depending how many sermons you’ve listened to, it is likely that you have heard at least one sermon about the Fruits of the : love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. This list comes from Paul’s letter to the Galatians (Galatians 5:22-23). Depending on the preacher or author, it could be an unordered list, or an ordered list. These fruit, though, are supposed to be increasing in each Christian day-by-day.

    ‌Isaiah’s words are, in particular, about the people of Israel (God’s first chosen people). The concept was that despite their trials, exiles, and spiritual (and physical) wandering, that God would cause them to be plentiful and to fill the earth. Over the years, many Christians have believed (and even preached) that Christians completely replaced the descendants of Israel as the new chosen. Today, most Christians don’t believe that. On the other hand, Christians are spiritual descendants of Israel (through Jesus), so should be accounted for as fruit of the promise in Isaiah.

    ‌Yet, if we look around, we can see that Christians are as likely to be reconciling as anyone else. In other words, we Christians appear to be just as unloving and unreconciling as those who do not believe in Jesus. Paul notes that Christians are particularly called to the ministry of reconciliation. While, yes, much of that does have to do with being in a reconciled (or “right”) relationship with God, this does not exclude or diminish the on the Christian to be a reconciling force in their , community, and the world.

    ‌Re-examine the definitions of reconciling. Except for definition 4a, one could actually apply each definition to the life a Christian is to exemplify. 4a would occupy a special place that is that of the price of paid, and thus has a place in (or origin for) the conversation of reconciling.

    ‌In the Greek language, there is an imperfect tense, which doesn’t (sadly) exist in English, though reconciling comes close per the Merriam-Webster definition, especially when we say reconciliation is the action of reconciling (the mission or ministry) and being reconciled, which was done through Jesus Christ’s birth, life, death on the cross, and resurrection. It is done, and yet there is more work to be done.

    ⁜Reflection⁜

    ‌Of the five (1a, 1b, 2, 3, 4b) definitions, which do you see as the strongest in your life? How do you see each of these working through your life?

    ⁜Act⁜‌

    What is an (or series of acts) of reconciliation that you can do in your family and community?

    ⁜Prayer⁜

    ‌Father God, you have given us the ministry of reconciliation. Help us not to forget that by giving it to us, you have given us responsibility. Help us to remember that through this responsibility you have given us the honor of working alongside you, the Creator, in the world. Jesus, help us to continually examine your life as conveyed in the to understand what it means to live a life of reconciliation. , just as you provide each of us “fruit of the Spirit”, so, too, do you provide the ability to be aware of where the world needs reconciliation. Triune God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), guide us more deeply into your truth to be the of reconciliation and the people of love to the world. Amen.

  • Let It Be

    Psalm 112:1–9, Colossians 3:12–17, James 3:13–18 (read online ⧉)

    Galatians 5:22–23 lists the following as fruits of the spirit: love, joy, , forbearance, , goodness, , , self-control.

    2 Peter 1:5–7 lists the following characteristics to pursue: , goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, mutual affection, love.

    1 Timothy 6:11 has its own list of characteristics: righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, gentleness.

    Psalm 112 starts with praising of God, and then fearing God. How does this fit with the above? The same way as the spirits. Praising of God and (not punishing, but of awe) are foundational to testing the spirits. You cannot test without having an idea of the ideal. What is interesting is that the Psalmist goes on to that there will be a “natural” result of a legacy. However, as we all know, there is always free will, and those that follow may not continue the legacy that they were handed.

    Colossians continues this with cloth, bear, forgive, let (peace), thanks, let (Christ’s message dwell), teach, admonish. The reason this passage of Colossians is important we continue thinking about testing the spirits is the concept of “let”. Far too often we try to do, and do not “let” God be God who dwells in us richly.
    James, too, has the concept of let. Granted, it is a let show, but that still means don’t make a show. Let what comes out of you be natural not forced. Let it be God coming from you, not be “fake it till you make it.”

    1) When it comes to “” the , do you perceive it as natural to you, or is it “fake it till you make it?” Why do you feel that way?

    2) Why is “let” important for the Christian life? Do you tend toward the opposite?

    3) What is the danger of “letting” it being all that is part of your Christian walk?

  • Evangelizing the Body

    Proverbs 15:1, Proverbs 25:15, Isaiah 40:10–14, Matthew 12:11–21 (read online ⧉)

    The mission statement of the Church of the Nazarene is, “to make Christ-like disciples in all nations.” In case you’ve forgotten, though you probably haven’t, one of the tasks of Christians is to make disciples. The mission statement of the Church of the Nazarene is really the call upon all Christians. For many years, the culture of the United States appeared to have a deep understanding of Christianity and had embraced it. The formulation of evangelism has been firmly rooted in that. Techniques such as the Romans Road and 4 Spiritual Laws were developed for that culture. If these techniques were so effective, the religious landscape of our country would be very different. It is not that they were not effective, it was just that the presentation of their effectiveness is questionable.

    The reality is that techniques that rely on a particular time, place, and culture will only be effective for a short time. The time that many were effective was relatively short. There are many, however, that still cling to these ways. Much of the reason is that they were simple and straight . On the front , they also appeared effective in the short term as people “came to Christ.” Yet, over time a large proportion didn’t “stick.” This actually why evangelism in today’s world has far greater potential.

    In today’s world, the fact that we can no longer rely on techniques and “quick-strike” techniques is actually a good thing. It’s a hard thing. It’s a very hard thing. It’s still a good thing. In today’s culture, is the single biggest “technique”. If we are honest with ourselves, we can look back even at the evangelism techniques and recognize that when it “stuck” a relationship was involved.

    Our two verses from Proverbs address speaking with . Contrary to Proverb 15:1, the church (generally) has been characterized (with reason) as speaking with harsh words. In our worthwhile attempt to guide/direct people to live a God-honoring life, we instead scarred and hurt them with our words. Proverbs 25:15 shows us that will win for more people over, and if our goal is to win people over to Christ, then we should follow the of Proverbs. Here is the struggle point, however, with this wisdom; there is no guarantee and it will take time. In a quick-fix world like ours, the dedication of time becomes a stumbling block to Christians living out their mission.

    Gentleness and guiding are part of the image that Isaiah is trying to portray. Isaiah shows God’s for people. Who are we to not follow this guidance? Carrying lambs and guiding those nursing is not quick. It requires patience and love. This guidance and care is placed in the middle of verses talking about God’s glory and power. This tells us that power and glory go hand-in-hand with guidance and care. Of course, there is a tendency towards condescension, of which we must all be cautious.

    This view of God is then applied to Jesus by Matthew (who was quoting Isaiah). It carries on the view of God above. There is the preceding story of a “sinful” healing on the Sabbath. Where was the gentleness and guidance in this? There was only condemnation and condescension. The key for our thoughts on gentleness and guidance are really in Matthew 12:20. A bruised reed means the plant is already injured and hurting. One can easily break a bruised reed, rather than bandage and work to heal it. A smoldering wick means that the fire was blown out or the oil extinguished. One can more easily fully extinguish a smoldering wick rather than reigniting the flame or filling the lamp with oil.

    1) Due to many issues (both past and ongoing), evangelism needs to occur in the church, as much as outside of the church. Who is someone struggling with their or beliefs? Who can you stand next to and lift up?

    2) Many of the people that we meet outside of the church have been hurt by it. This can be by words or spoken actions taken. It can also be by stories told of the church. How can you work to build a bridge to those that have been hurt by us?

    3) When being confronted with a challenge to your views, especially your world view, how do you ?

  • Trust But Verify

    Luke 19:1–10, 1 John 4:10, Romans 8:22–28 (read online ⧉)

    You may or may not have heard that a famous person has publicly proclaimed that he has “found” Jesus Christ. Many Christians have not accepted this person’s conversion. It’s not as if this is a new thing. Not really. Over the years there have been many conversions that have been questioned. Many of them have been questioned because they were “-bed” conversions.

    It’s not so much that these conversions are questioned, for conversions should be questioned, but it was the attitude that often goes along with it. The that such-and-such a person’s conversion could not possibly be real, or that it is questionable should raise our internal flags. Who are we to determine that?

    Let’s take the tale of Zacchaeus. In it we see Zacchaeus to what of his gains were ill-gotten. Jesus says has come. Great! If we were to look at the tale of Zacchaeus with the same amount of skepticism as we look at death-bed or famous people conversions, well, we wouldn’t just “see it” with Zacchaeus. The guy has been a thief (say many today about taxes) and colludes with the government (which people don’t trust). How could such a person’s conversion ever be trusted?

    Yet, one of the first responses to questioning Zacchaeus’ conversion is, but the Bible says so! Well, it tells that Jesus said salvation came but were you there to see that Zacchaeus actually did what he told Jesus? Really, what about all those other people that you know about that said it’s all for Jesus, but didn’t change?

    Sounds really cynical, doesn’t it? Jesus said salvation came. One would think God would know, as only God knows the heart. Yet, people are as cynical (or even more so) today about conversions. Sadly, we’ve had plenty of examples of false conversions. We have plenty of examples of Christians doing appalling things. Why so cynical? We know humanity for we see it in ourselves.

    So, what are we to do? We do have a pretty simple way to evaluation conversions…the fruit. There are the fruits of the spirit (, joy, , patience, , goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control). There is also the fruit of discipleship. Are there people being discipled by the converted? The fruit of discipleship and the fruit of the spirit, however, can be a long time coming.

    1) How would “trust but verify” work in this situation? Does this concept help or hurt?

    2) Many of those we would fathers and mothers of the questioned their own salvation. Why do we think we would know somebody else’s conversion?

    3) What are the ways that we can encourage recent conversions and help to maintain them?

  • From the Heart

    Colossians 3:12–17

    οἰκτιρμοῦ (oiktirmou) :: and concern with sensitivity and

    χρηστότητα (chrēstotēta) :: to or providing for a person as an act of kindness

    ταπεινοφροσύνην (tapeinophrosynē) :: humble attitude and without arrogance

    πραΰτητα (prautēta) :: of attitude and behavior / not harsh with

    μακροθυμίαν (makrothymian) :: emotional calm despite provocation or misfortune, and without complaint or irritation.

    So, why the Greek lesson? English misses so much. The one that triggered this particular Greek lesson is οἰκτιρμοῦ (oiktirmou). In the most used translations, this is only translated as compassion. A few translations (e.g., HCSB, ESV, and NASB) add heart in some form. This is an important qualifier.

    Compassion can be an act of obedience (with or without being a loving response). For many people, that is exactly what it is. Almsgiving (giving money and/or aid to the poor) is common in a number of religions. It is, for example, 1 of the 5 pillars of Islam (called Zakat). In the church, it is titled Compassionate Ministries (Church of the Nazarene organization). It is Blue Bucket Sundays at Generations Church. People out of obligation, too. It’s not that obedience or obligation is bad, but what about the heart.

    Think of χρηστότητα (chrēstotēta). Giving to give is fine, sort of. If we were to give a poor the best birthday party for the youngest child or feed the family for the month (and, based on the bills of some birthday parties, that isn’t a stretch), which would we choose? Both are giving as kindness, but which has the potential for the greatest kindness.

    Why is this important? It’s about our lives with one another. Our lives with one another are to exemplify …and compassion of the heart.

    1)Taking the of the Greek, how do they each apply to your Christian walk, whether for yourself or for others?

    2) In Churches, compassion is often the mission of a ministry. That is not how we are called to live. How can you deepen the compassion in your Christian walk? How can you help others to deepen theirs?

  • Foundations and Firmaments

    Psalm 148, Colossians 3:12-17, Luke 2:41-52

    What are your thoughts when reading Psalm 149? Do you ever think of all of praising God, the Creator? If you haven’t seen Louie Giglio’s Stars and Whales (link below), I strongly recommend it. To think that it is not just us ( beings) that are called and made to God. It is important to understand that praise is a core piece of our very existence. If we are not praising, the foundation of our life is in question. It might even be in jeopardy.

    A firm foundation is important, especially in of our passage in Colossians. Verses 12-14 are not easy. When we live out our lives with others, our , kindness, , and patience are often put to the test. As we bear with others’ weaknesses (and as they bear with ours), letting go of offenses can seem impossible, and even unfair or unrighteous. This is why the Peace of Christ (v 15) is essential to lay down upon the foundation of praise. With praise and peace, comes thankfulness. This is where we need to pause and remind ourselves that there are acts of thankfulness (which is a spiritual practice), and then there is a of thankfulness, which is an outpouring of trusting God.

    It is from all of this, that then Paul (the author of Colossians) gets to correction. He notes that it is through God’s word, psalms, hymns and spiritual songs that we correct the excesses of others, and others correct our excesses. It is important to look to Scripture as to what might be (emphasis on might) going on in the spiritual lives of others, rather than depending on our own understanding, which is likely missing crucial pieces of information. As we get to the story Luke provides us, it is important to see the different spiritual stories going on.

    For Mary and Joseph, who knew the prophecies about their son, their return from the temple was part of their spiritual practice and were comfortable in their return home. Young , on the other hand, wasn’t done yet. Here was a young boy among elders, who themselves were astonished by Jesus’ insights. It is quite easy for us to be disappointed with Mary and Joseph not understanding. Just like Jesus, we can find ourselves saying, “of course, that’s where he is!” A new Christian or even an unbeliever(!) can provide spiritual insights that cause others to be shocked with a new insight and grow closer to God! Who are we to set aside spiritual insights provided by God through others?

    When our foundation is firm, we trust God, and are humble toward one another, we are open to receiving spiritual insights from whomever God puts in our path.

    1) What spiritual insight did you receive from the person you were least expecting?

    2) Why do you think praise might be essential to spiritual insights?

    KD) Why do you think it was huge that Jesus asked his mom and dad that question?