Devotion.al

Tag: give

  • Divine Encounters

    Psalm 63:1-8, Daniel 12:1-4, Revelation 2:1-7

    Often when we first come to know , our hearts are on . A colorful way of saying it is a “fire in the bones” or “fire in the belly”. In other words, we experience a . For , it is not a fire, but a germinating plant slowing breaking through the shell of the seed, then bursting forth from the ground. There are many ways to describe that change. There are probably as many as there are people. Those new in their relationship with Jesus will often seek more and more of Jesus. They will (like the psalmist) think of God as being more satisfying than rich food. They will think about God while just lying on their bed. In the middle of the night, they will think about God. Keeping that going, however, is always a task. Especially in times of trouble, trial, or just plain confusion.

    Daniel’s vision is not that literal, but it does convey . A new time of distress and discord will come. New nations will rise. God’s people, though, will still be on God’s . God will carry his people. However, even though they are “his” people, there will be a separation. What could be the separating point? Active relationship with God.

    As the Letter to Ephesus calls on the Ephesians to to their “first love”, so, too, are we called. We are called to return to the ways of the psalmist, always thinking about God. Within the letter is yet another reminder that there will be a separation between those who have an active relationship with God, and those who don’t. Just like any relationship, a relationship with God does not just happen. We have to work to maintain it. It’s not that God “walks” away from us, but that we walk away from him.

    1) Do you recall your first encounter with Jesus? What was it like?

    2) change, as should ours with God. Our relationship with God should always be deepening. yourself a moment to reflect and be honest with yourself. Is your relationship with God deepening? If not, ! Let’s start now! God is always waiting for you to have a deeper relationship with him. If you have a deepening relationship with God, what will you do to help others deepen their relationship with God?

    3) Daniel’s and John’s (Revelation) visions talk about a separation between those who have an active relationship with God, and those who don’t. Does that scare you, or does that motivate you? Why?

  • Yet We Live

    Psalm 22, Genesis 28:10–22, Luke 20:27-39

    Jacob’s encouraged and assured him that God was real, and God had something planned for him. What the vision didn’t do was say everything was going to be easy, and that he (and his ) would always be safe. Even when God says, “…I will bring you back…” certain assurances are missing, such as how long or when. While the vision has aspects of comfort, there really is a lot left completely open.

    While the is made to Jacob, by extension the promise is also to his descendants. God promises to Jacob that his offspring will have the land and that God would not leave until that occurred. In other words, while the promise was immediate, the fulfillment and God’s was far in the .

    This now and future aspect is very important when we come to ‘ words. Jesus is strongly implying that the concept of past, present, and future aren’t quite as we think. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob were all buried. Scripture even tells of them specifically being buried. They were dead! Jesus turns that upside down and says that everybody (even those who have died) are living from God’s perspective. We measure our days. When we think of , our legacy is what outlives us. According to Jesus, our legacy cannot outlive us!

    It seems to be contradictory. We know we die, yet God says we live. We know people in our lives who have died, yet for God, they live!

    1) We all leave a legacy. Will the legacy you leave life, or is it something else?

    2) Throughout scripture, there is a tension of now and not yet. Why is that important in regards to legacy?

    3) There is a tendency in many circles that a good with God means that we will always be healthy, wealthy, long-lived, and safe. Scripture never delivers that message. Why, then, do you think that so many Christians hold on to this belief?

  • A Seeking Heart

    Psalm 105:1–15, 2 Chronicles 20:1–22, Luke 13:22–31

    We often feel powerless in comparison to the world around us. The current pervasive feeling is that people do not have a voice in the government that is supposed to be theirs. Many people feel powerless in the face of medical issues, general health issue, job issues, issues, and so on. It is easy to become overwhelmed by what we cannot do. Embrace the powerlessness.

    Sounds strange, doesn’t it? Yet, the story of Jehoshaphat is a story of a people, and their king, who recognized their powerlessness in the face of enemies far beyond their ability to deal with. Jehoshaphat embraced his powerlessness. He acknowledged it. He put it before God. God doesn’t always do something miraculous like what happened here. The miraculous is God. The powerlessness is ours. What do we do with our powerlessness? Do we study harder? Work harder? Pray harder?

    The multitude of Judah (entire families) publically placed their weakness before God. True is often the greatest parents and grandparents can to their children and grandchildren. It wasn’t that long ago that men and women were to hide their paid either behind plastic smiles or stoic faces. , toil, grief, depression, mourning, were all to be hidden, for they were a weakness. The families of Judah had no shame in sharing this. God saved them.

    Theirs was collective salvation. When we come to Jesus, there is both collective and personal salvation at stake. In particular, the narrow road and gate are more personal than collective, but the separation between the two is not as clear as we like to think. Think about the opening question regarding the number of people to be saved. That’s the wrong question! In another place in scripture, there is a similar question regarding the requirements to be saved. Again, that’s the wrong question! Actually, that’s the wrong orientation.

    Jesus’ intent is orientation. If we are always trying to figure out the limits, we aren’t aiming for the heart. Think about marriage. If one marries another, saying what can I get away with and still be married, it doesn’t sound right, does it? Marriage isn’t about our joy, but what we do to make the other happy. A relationship with Jesus is very similar in that regard. While Jesus’ words sound harsh, “get away from me evildoers,” it is that heart orientation: a heart seeking to do (what can I get away with), versus a heart seeking to make Jesus happy.

    1) Have you ever thought, what can I get away with and still be saved?

    2) If you said, “no,” has your behavior matched, “no”, or has your behavior really matched, “yes”?

    3) How do powerlessness and the narrow road go (they do)? What does that tell you about the Christian /walk?

    FD) Why do you think Jesus talks about the door being narrow? Why narrow? Why a door?

  • A Mighty Legacy

    Psalm 105, Exodus 33:1–6

    Have you ever known people that no matter how much you might respect, like, or even them, that spending a large amount of time with them would result in personal injury? It could be a parent, aunt, uncle, cousin, or sibling. In families, a lot of pain is stored and maintained, meaning that gathers while good on many levels, can be stressful or even hurtful. If your family gatherings do not have this, praise to God and all the family members who have made sure to pass on such a blessed and loving . Truth be told, however, most families are not so blessed. Moses’ extended family was a trial for Moses, but not just Moses.

    God had relational limits. Think on that for a moment. There is a limit. The stubborn Israelites wouldn’t make it, for they kept testing God. And, perhaps, that is the point. When someone repeatedly rebels against God, there is a limit. Yet, there is something hidden in plain sight. God says that God will not go with them, for they would up not making it. It was not that God did not love them, nor that they were no longer the people he called. They had put a limit on their with God. God accepted that. It could be more for Moses’ information than anything else. Moses wanted God right there. His relationship with God was good. “Let’s go together!” God knew that the Israelites just wouldn’t be able to do it.

    One of the beauties of Scripture is its honesty. God’s people really did not have the best relationship with God. There wasn’t a cover-up. Let’s see: they struggled mightily with God; they rebelled directly against God; they opposed his chosen leaders; they lifted up other gods over God; they killed God’s prophets; they didn’t believe God a lot. Despite that, they faithfully passed on God’s from generation to generation. While still struggling with God, they still believed that God was . They recognized the gap between themselves and God…and trusted God. That is a mighty legacy to pass on.

    1) Sometimes when we tell a story, it’s not flattering to ourselves. Can you think of a story someone shared that delivered a good message but put them in a bad light?

    2) Often we give people either too much, or too little leeway in our relationship with them. Can you think of a relationship you have like that? What can you do to balance that out in a God-honoring way?

    3) Pain (emotional and ) and sacrifice (material and otherwise) are often part of a story of significance. Can you think of something like that which is part of your story?

    FD) The story of our life fits inside of God’s story. What does your story tell others about God?

  • Legacy of Faith

    Psalm 27, Genesis 13:14-18, Philippians 3:2-12

    David was no saint insofar as not always being a good example to follow: thuggery, adultery, murder, failure to lead and/or protect his family. On the other hand, David wrote God-inspired psalms, designed the Great , outline the rules and families for (who did what), and was—by and large—a faithful follower of and champion for God. When we read Psalm 27, we see a person’s open to God. In the psalm, David declares that God is pretty much everything. David’s statement regarding his parents abandoning him (something that would be especially painful and cruel in a family driven culture), but that God would still be there is also an identifying thing. David was declaring that without his family, his identity would still be found in God. It was a worthy to pass on, but as noted earlier, David didn’t do so well with his family. Other than Solomon, we know nothing about the of David’s children, and Solomon’s faith became troubled as he got older. Is it David’s fault that his legacy was not passed on well? To some degree it was. However, at some point, those who follow have to keep nourishing the flame of faith they were given.

    While even most non-church folks recognize Adam and Eve, and Noah (who are important characters), from a religious standpoint none may be more important than Abram (Abraham). In this passage, Abram gives Lot the choice of direction. Lot chooses what seems to be the better land. Yet, after he made that choice, God tells Abram that his offspring will equal the amount of in the world. Is that an overstatement? Perhaps, however, we have to look at how the Israelites viewed it as a . They would know. Then look and Christianity, a child faith of Abraham. They (we) are also the progeny of Abram. Abram’s legacy of faith has been passed down to us. And it is the legacy of faith that truly matters.

    Paul, until his conversion, had received a legacy of duties, tasks, rituals, that did not give life, or at least no full life. While Christians may be quick to accuse the Jews of lifeless rituals that they though saved them, many of those same rituals developed a deep and ground faith in God. It all really depended on the and what they did with the flame of faith pass on to them.

    1) Who passed on the flame of faith to you? What are you doing to make sure that the flame of faith you pass on will be as strong or stronger?

    2) Paul states that he cares more about knowing (God) than doing stuff, and relying on stuff. Can you say the same of yourself?

    3) The beauty of David’s life is that it is honest. David’s life was not perfect, just as yours or mine are not. Why does acknowledging not having a perfect life important when passing on the faith?

    FD) Did you know that you have a responsibility to accept faith and nourish (feed) it?

  • People Dynamics

    Exodus 6:1–13, Psalm 37:1–24, 1 Corinthians 3:18–4:5

    “I want you to walk up to your estranged (who just so happens to be the world at the moment) and tell them to release their biggest labor force.” Hmm. We are so accustomed to Moses’ story that we often will miss pieces of the story. Everyone in your family gets along, right? Even the distant cousins, right? Of course not! Sometimes the biggest and longest lasting fights and painful relationships are within families. When the family is a family of power and influence (such as Egypt was), the significance of family relationships or battles becomes much larger than just interpersonal relationships. On top of that, Moses was only an adopted child, and he was adopted from the Hebrews he’s being sent to lead out of Egypt. No pressure. What crazy person would dare oppose one of the most (if not the most) powerful militaries in the world? Who’d (basically) walk up to the to basically thumb his nose at him? No one. It’s just not normal!

    Moses’ reality was that he would have to oppose his powerful adoptive family who wouldn’t be happy with him. He’d also have the tension within his extended biological family, many of whom wouldn’t him because he was from Pharaoh’s house and he had run away years ago. This just wasn’t a good place to be. When in the middle of these two tensions, we have to give Moses credit, he kept a balanced head, no matter much either “side” would have driven him crazy.

    When we deal with opposing tensions we can all have a tendency to lose it a bit. We can lose our temper, our positivity, our humor. We often up fighting ourselves first. While we may not be currently upset or caught between evildoers, as the psalmist is concerned about, the agitation is often the same. We can be caught between two “goods”, two “bads”, and even between a good and a bad. Where we turn when in a place of tension, tells us where our heart is focused. If we turn to work, money, alcohol, drugs, and such, we can soften the tension for time, but only put it off. Our families often receive the brunt of our tension, but they generally cannot deal with it either. That leaves us with God, who can handle it all. Or, at least that is how it should be. Instead, we often try to hand off our decisions, responsibilities, or consequences to others, especially those we perceive as smarter, wiser, or more powerful than ourselves. That is the wisdom of the world.

    We are often reminded of the craziness, futility, and just plain wrongness that pervades humanity, yet for some reason, we insist on its wisdom. We look around the world wondering what’s wrong. The world around us is the expression of wisdom. It is not that God’s wisdom is not there, but human “wisdom” is so common it seems as if God’s wisdom is not there. This is why Paul says the (worldly) wise should become fools. For when they see their human wisdom as foolishness, they can finally become aware of God’s wisdom. And this brings us back to Moses. According to the world, he was a fool. He was in awe of (often “feared” is used) God, which is the beginning of true wisdom.

    1) is often viewed as foolishness by many. Why give up the good stuff? What is the Godly wisdom of giving up the “good” stuff?

    2) It is often easy to “know” the story of Bible characters. What happens if you put yourself in their place? Does that change your of them and their story?

    3) Wisdom and knowledge can be passed on. We focus a lot on wisdom, as we want our legacy (children, grandchildren, etc.) to be successful in this world. However, worldly wisdom is often at odds with God’s wisdom. How have you dealt with that? How can you help others deal with it?

    FD) Who do you for guidance when you have 2 good (or bad) decisions to choose from?

  • The Passing of Wisdom and Faith

    Proverbs 3:33–4:27, Genesis 3:21–4:7, Luke 3:4–18

    (Grand)Parents can pass on to their (biological, mentored, or spiritual) children and grandchildren. Sometimes the wisdom is things learned, sometimes it is pain survived. In Proverbs, we see a collection of wisdom sayings. Living a good has been twisted in our culture to be a life of collecting stuff and wealth. The proverbs gathered in the book of Proverbs, if actually read, can be an antidote/counterbalance to that. For a number of years, some Christians have taken to reading a chapter of Proverbs a day. At least chapters 1-28 are read every month. Wisdom can be passed on, even habituated, but both the person doing the passing and the person doing the taking must be working together. Often we can pass on and wisdom (think of all the hours students sit in classrooms). We can even test for knowledge. Ultimately, however, each person must choose to exercise the wisdom they’ve been given. The goal of passing on Godly wisdom is to silence the “wisdom” of the world, and the world is loud.

    Cain, only the second generation(!), succumbed to the world. The first murder happens in the second generation. Let that sink in. It was only the second generation. There is an important lesson in this. The next generation can lose it all. There is a modern proverb, “the (thus Christianity) is only one generation away from dying out.” We who pass the faith and our wisdom on to the next generation (and the generation that follows) can only do our best. However, if we understand God’s story, our small story in the middle of God’s story, and that to those who follow, we increase the likelihood that the Gospel will pass to the next generation. There is a dark side to being the recipient, too.

    The Jews had had the faith passed on to them. They carried it proudly. While they were indeed God’s people, there was an arrogance in many that because their forefathers had passed on the faith and traditions to them, that they were still blessed and protected. John the Baptist wanted them to understand that while the faith was passed down, it wasn’t the rules and rituals that saved and preserved them, it was the grace of God. This grace-filled God wanted a , not empty rituals. While the Israelites had successfully talked to their children in their going and sitting, they had not (apparently) passed on a relationship. The church is often guilty of this same thing. There was a time where as long as the right words were spoken and the right doctrine passed on that all will be well. Except it wasn’t well at all. In , generations turned to an entirely relational view of God, which made new rules and often disregarded doctrine. Both were (and still are) extremes that the church—to pass on the wisdom and faith—must strive to and find a balance between the two.

    1) What Bible story (or stories) can you ? What Bible stories do you think non-believers know?

    2) What did the stories teach you about God? What do you think those bible stories teach non-believers?

    3) In those stories, do you see relation, doctrine, or both? Are you able to those differences with others?

    FD) If you know what is right, do you do it? If not, why not?

  • Hearts In Worship

    Psalm 50, Isaiah 58, Matthew 6:1–18

    Humankind is always trying to figure God out. Humankind will often take a role/position and apply it to God. It is not wrong to do this, in scripture we see, “Lord of lords.” There is an explicit understanding that no matter how great or powerful any person of influence or is, God is more so. As the culture and governments change, so did the way God was viewed. For example, in the Roman Empire and well after the fall of the Roman Empire, God was viewed as an emperor. In the Reformation, God was viewed as more of a judge. John Wesley and viewed God as Father, which is odd, as God the Father was a phrase used while God was viewed as emperor. Yet, God the Father, as the Wesleys understood God the Father, was a loving, caring, and self-sacrificing father. Despite this change, much of the church’s (and thus the people’s) interaction with God is still God as Emperor and God as Judge. This really comes into play when we read things such as Psalm 50, God as Judge.

    The intro (vv. 1-6) set the stage for who God is, some symbolism to correctly identify God, and his command. The tendency is to see devouring fire and judge as bad. The devouring fire, though, is good and purifying (burns away the surface layer), and also reflects the context of this psalm regarding worship, where the sacrifice was burned to make amends to, covenant with, and God. When it comes to judge, it is the same word that is also used to contend, plead the cause, vindicate, govern. The best translation is still judge, however, as we dig deeper, it isn’t to condemn. Lastly, God calls heaven and earth. From a legal viewpoint (back to judge), heaven and earth are witnesses regarding the People of God. So, what is causing the issue?

    Wrongly worshipping God. The implication of the verses is that the purpose of the sacrifices is to feed God. This is a logical leap, as the cultures around the Israelites believed exactly that about their sacrifices to their gods. God tells the Israelites that he could eat whatever he wanted if he needed to. First, they are all his (as he made them). Second, because he knows them all and where they are. Then we move on to the Thank Offering. Why? That God tells them to do a thank offering tells us that they missed this vital sacrifice that was part of the Law, but more importantly, should have been part of their hearts. Thanking God had disappeared. While not mentioned in this psalm at all, it probably meant that the Israelites weren’t performing Fellowship Offerings either. What does this tell us? That the Israelites had indeed turned God into judge and did the “right” things to appease God. This, again, takes from the cultures and religious practices from those around them.

    God then goes and addresses those whose hearts don’t even get the whole God thing at all. These are the people that do all the “right” things, but unlike the ones previously addressed, don’t really care whether they do right or wrong. They do wrong and all they care about is avoiding punishment. We’ve all known people like this, who will say the right things to avoid the consequences of their behavior. These are those people. Doing the doesn’t avoid the punishment, it actually adds to it.

    Lastly, in this psalm, at the end of these two sections, there is . People in right relationship with God (which still doesn’t mean they are perfect) will be saved. Not to belabor the point, Isaiah 58 and Matthew 6:1–18 is all about our hearts in worship, and what God does in and for people in right relationship. In his song, “The of Worship,” Matt Redman says/sings:
    When the music fades

    All is stripped away
    And I simply come
    Longing just to bring
    Something that’s of
    That will bless Your heart

    Much of our life is filled with adding more and more. Our schedules are full. Our lives are busy. Church services go from one thing to another in a flow. We consume more and more food, drink, energy, data, but in so doing shove God out of our lives. Lent calls upon us to remove things from our lives, not to punish ourselves (as some people claim), but to remind us that God is truly all we need, and all God wants is all of us.

    1) Have you ever been overwhelmed or underwhelmed by a church service? Can you figure out why?

    2) Do you strive to do more things to please people? How about God? Does today’s scripture change your ?

    3) There were 3 primary sacrifices in Levitical Law/life: remediation of , Thanksgiving, Free Will/Fellowship. What seems to be the primary goal of sacrifice? Which of the 3 do most people focus on? Why?

    FD) What’s the simplest thing you can do to worship God today? What’s the simplest thing you can do to give thanks to God? What’s the simplest thing you can do to be in fellowship with God?