Devotion.al

Tag: grow

  • Hear the Roar

    Hear the Roar

    Psalm 85:8–13; Amos 3:1–12; Colossians 4:2–18

    The Psalm speaks of the land of Israel having God’s blessings. It needed it. God’s was both a protection and a source of bounty. The gist is that if Israel’s people were being blessed by the land, including peace from war, bountiful crops, and growing families, then God should be at the forefront of the list of thanks.

    The US has long held itself (with some rationale) as a blessed and fertile land. Yes, there were blips (droughts—including the blight that was part of the Great Depression, blights, pests, etc). As a whole, however, the US continues to have bountifully producing lands. Historically, we have been relatively free from war and conflict. Our families could grow large if we wanted.

    Yet, a common refrain, especially during any so-call culture wars/battles, is that things would get better if we returned to God wholeheartedly. The problem with that is that people see all the blessings, so are confused as to why they should be looking to God. That may have well the same issue with the Israelites.

    The refrain of returning to God is rising again. Most of us think only of the political “right” when it comes to that. It is true that many of the religious folks that are calling for a “return to God” are aligned to the “right” politically. However, there are voices on the political “left” that are also speaking language. Words such as “reckoning” are coming out. That’s a very Biblical concept. Those aligned politically on the “left” don’t use much religious language because the “right” appears to own it (they don’t), and will delegitimize those on the “left” who use religious language. However, for both “sides”, they actually have a similar vision…things will not work the way they have been.

    The political jostling distracts from the prophetic words coming from both “sides” of the political divide. That both agree (in different words, granted) that this is not as God intended should be something that everyone should be paying attention to…especially in the church. In an era that is becoming more politically rigidly divided, every prophetic bone in every Christian, along with the Holy Spirit present in each one of us is screaming, “LOOK AT THIS!”

    In Amos, we see a picture of Israel that is so loved by God it had been—up to this point—able to avoid the natural punishment that had come to those around it. God’s had kept them from the consequences. That protection was on its last legs. This is the roaring lion of Judah in Amos. It isn’t the lion that protects. It is the lion that warns.

    The lion is roaring, church! Are you listening?

    Once we listen, if we choose to, what then?

    Paul tells the church to act wisely and to make the most of every opportunity to share about Jesus and the . If you read that passage, verses 5 and 6 almost don’t seem to fit. In my imagination, I see Paul writing this letter from jail, and one of his jailers comes in and it clicks with Paul as he has been sharing with his jailers about Jesus that the Colossians should, too. That Paul seems to interrupt his chain of thought to mention this should wrap this in neon lights and glitter. All our sharp rhetoric and political bludgeoning aren’t how this is supposed to work…not for the church, at least. Sharp rhetoric and political bludgeoning are the way of the world.

    The lion is roaring, and we claim it’s at the culture, the system, etcetera. The lion is roaring at the church to say, “get to the work of the !”

    ※Reflection※

    • What do you see with your when you read the ? Do you take away something different?
    • How can prophetic voices from different political poles still speak prophetically to the church and the world and both be authentic?
    • Is there a particular issue that the lion roars for you? What is the human (not political) person like on the “opposite” side? Is it really opposition rather than perspective? (Advice: don’t let the deceive you about people)

    ※Prayer※

    Lord, we of your church have lost our prophetic voice with far more issues than we have retained. Guide our hearts to seek your will, to be your witnesses, and to be the needed prophetic voice to your —the church—and then to the world. Amen.

  • Aiming to Change

    Aiming to Change

    Psalm 30; Lamentations 2:1–12; 2 Corinthians 8:1–7

    The implication of today’s reading in Lamentations is that this came suddenly, or that all the preparations were annihilated. The sad reality is that sometimes things that came “suddenly” were actually quite predictable. God sent multiple prophets. Before the Israelites even entered the Promised Land, Moses had warned them. It shouldn’t have been a surprise.

    We can look around us and see plenty of people who follow this same pattern. Whether they make bad decisions, money decisions, career decisions, education decisions, or something else, they continue to make the same mistake and what went wrong.

    God wasn’t upset with the Israelites for making mistakes or even wandering away, except that they continued to do it until it became the lifestyle.

    God knows that we all will make mistakes. That’s part of the current human condition. That wasn’t supposed to be, but we chose (and choose) to go our own way.

    We are embraced, loved, adopted, and as we are. We aren’t supposed to stay that way. The world understands this Truth. If you were to actually visit a physical bookstore (yes, they still exist) or look at the slate of newly published books, the biggest movers and often the greatest number of published titles are all “self-help”. The world knows that we are to improve and grow. We are not to stay the same.

    Despite that, when the Scriptures (or the faithful -following community) us to account to change, we push back. We say, “no” or “God made me this way.” And before you think (too late, I’m sure) that “they” should know that too (“they” being whomever many progressive or conservative Christians oppose), it isn’t about “them” or “they”, it is about us.

    Paul calls on the Corinthians to be “the best” in regard to faith, speech, , commitment (there’s a really hard one these days), and love (okay, maybe this one’s harder). The best. Not okay. Not good. Not satisfactory. The best.

    We don’t start out as “the best”. As individuals, we may never be “the best” at any or all. Collectively, as the , we have the potential to be “the best” at them all, but only if we are willing to be changed and work in partnership with the Spirit and our fellow believers.

    ※Reflection※

    • What struck you about the passage in Lamentations? Do you see yourself or your circumstances anywhere?
    • What areas of your have you had the greatest struggle surrendering to Jesus? What areas of your life do you think need the greatest amount of change to be in line with the and nature of Jesus Christ?
    • “The best” is a high mark. Why should we aim at a mark we probably will never hit? How do we keep from being discouraged when we miss?

    ※Prayer※

    As we seek to do your will, may we be transformed. As we pursue holiness, may we not be discouraged. As we fail and err, may we recognized that it is you who picks us back up. Amen.

  • Moving Pain

    Moving Pain

    Psalm 107:1–3, 23–32; Job 38:1–11; 2 Corinthians 6:1–13; Mark 4:35–41

    The right time. God moved at the right time. God’s timing is perfect.

    From a purely intellectual standpoint, these are easy to say. It is much harder to say this in the midst of trial and be at with that truth. We will often tell ourselves that we God, but that doesn’t mean we are at peace with it.

    Sometimes we aren’t called to be at peace with it.

    , whether physical, emotional, or spiritual, is God’s to us that something is wrong. One of the biggest ones is the pain of , particularly . Death is the ultimate indicator that something is wrong in .

    Pain also often indicates that you need to do something. Just sitting in your pain, because you trust God’s timing or are “at peace” about, is not always the right or move.

    Pain, oddly enough, can also be disguised in positive events and positive moments, as these moments of transition mean letting go of the past.

    The disciples didn’t just sit in their pain (fear). They woke up. That was wise.

    Paul (and Timothy) didn’t just sit in their pain that the Corinthians appeared to be abandoning them or letting their love (of Paul and Timothy and/or God) grow cold. A letter was and delivered. It was said aloud and shared among the Corinthians (and other churches).

    Job didn’t just sit. He carthartically released his pain. We often think of the Book of Job as Job mostly sitting with the others. While he is, Job is also doing what a lot of us try to do when we are in pain (spiritual and emotional, especially)…we process.

    ※Reflection※

    • What pain are you working through right now? What is the biggest obstacle for you in it?
    • How is your pain impacting those around you, particularly those who are closest to you?
    • How is your pain impacting your daily life and choices?

    ※Prayer※

    God, you gave us pain to guide us. Help us to look at the pain we are dealing with to see how you can use it to transform us. Amen.

  • Green Majesty

    Green Majesty

    Psalm 92:1–4, 12–15; Ezekiel 17:22–24; 2 Corinthians 5:11–17; Mark 4:26–34

    If you’ve ever walked in a forest, particularly a rain forest (like the one on the Olympic Peninsula), you might see a fallen and dead tree. On that dead tree, or from even its stump, there is a new tree or trees growing. While the “big one” is gone, new comes.

    The cedar tree represented the David line. By taking “a tender sprig”, the main (or empowered/enthroned) line (Jehoiachin) would be ultimately replaced by the line of David that God chose. There seems to be a Messianic tone to this passage, implying that the Messiah may not come from “the main branch” of the Davidic line.

    Depending on how one reads it, “birds of every kind” may represent the nations and peoples of the world. This Messianic tree would shade and nourish the birds, with the implication also being one of the birds raising their young (the next generation) under the protection and in the company of the Messiah.

    You might have noticed the green tree and the dry tree. Neither is set “in stone”. The green tree may wither away and the dry tree may bloom. In the realm of , this means that we must always continue to pursue God (green tree), and that even the dry tree (unbeliever, former believer, etc.) can go from withered and almost dead to fully alive.

    We often find ourselves in places where we are green. We also find ourselves, too often, in places where we are dry and withered. Part of the underlying , , and of ‘s words to the Corinthians was that God was not done with them. We all are made new and being made new daily. Just as the green tree can wither and die when not fed by water, so will we when we do not pursue the Water of Life. Then there is the parable of the mustard seed. It starts very small. It then grows beyond and becomes the plant in the garden that is the resting place of birds.

    Did you catch the parallel to the passage in Ezekiel? We often talk about the mustard seed of faith. If we think of the Messiah as the mustard seed, then the tree grows in the garden of Israel, and the birds (the nations) again in its shade.

    ※Prayer※

    Lord, trees surround us. They us shade. Many give us food. All provide places of refuge for the birds, and the trees even lose themselves to be the wood that forms our daily shelter. While the trees had no say in their , you still chose to walk the road to die on the cross—a dead tree—to bring me new life. Thank you for what you have created for and what you have given to us. Amen.

  • Faithfully Wise

    Faithfully Wise

    Psalm 92:1–4, 12–15; 1 Kings 10:26–11:8; Hebrews 11:4–13

    We often will use the word wisdom in regards to King Solomon. He was granted the of wisdom for the benefit of the people, and they greatly benefited. With the being built, on the surface, it would seem that they were benefiting spiritually (or at least religiously) too. Except that all the benefits were short-lived. Eternally, they were of minimal or no value.

    While calling the US a nation (whether from the beginning or up until now) is really a mischaracterization, it is helpful to think of the US as Solomon.

    Through the inheritance of conquest (Israel took the land, right or wrong, as the US took it from the previous inhabitants) and also hard work, there was financial, societal, and personal security. Everything was going well. Then certain things pulled the US away from its origins. The US, for example, went from a nation needing outside help, to be being one of the dominant (and at times the only dominant) countries that “gave” support (with the general expectation of benefits, even if only figurative).

    The US has chased after TV, space, the moon, computers, the , and you can probably add more to the list. Each of these things, for a time, became more important than the country itself.

    The church (and thus us) fell into this same trap. We had the “wars”, attractional, missional, Sunday School, , and even digital. Churches chased after these things. Could they serve the ? Yes. Did they server the kingdom? Not always. Where this gets really messy is that some of these may have been beneficial for the kingdom for a time and place (and perhaps still), but at the same time, many churches have stuck to their models rather than their mission.

    And in case you think that I want the “good old days”, I can easily add “fire and brimstone sermons”, liturgy (which I do ), rural, urban, poor, rich. Anything can inhibit the church—and the people called the church—from fulfilling its mission. Then we are no better than old Solomon.

    Solomon had wisdom, but his had waned. Contrast this with the faithful listed in Hebrews. Some of them may not have had wisdom, but they had faith.

    Often this is where the church and its people can sidetrack. When we lose faith and trust only in wisdom (particularly worldly wisdom), we will often make decisions that we believe are correct (they certainly may be wise), and yet do not align with faith or trust in the will of God.

    ※Reflection※

    • What kind of things/thoughts/“wisdom” have you had/experienced that led you away from God?
    • How do you discern when something good is taking you away from God?
    • What do you think is the mission of the church and the people of the church? How will you use that to filter your actions and the actions of your church?

    ※Prayer※

    Lord, may we in wisdom AND faith, that we are your faithful people on your mission. Amen.

  • Field Work

    Field Work

    Psalm 130; Genesis 2:4b–14; Luke 8:4–15

    Regardless of where you are concerning the continuum of evolution to creationism, humanity is unique. Many of those who look at humanity from the evolutionary standpoint are less than impressed with the result of evolution. Many of those who look at humanity from the creationism standpoint are less than impressed with that result, too. Humanity with all its beauty, difference, and creativity, is a complete mess. If you need any convincing (doubtful), there is the news (from any source), the , and even basic interactions with people in the neighborhood that will likely convince you. If you read the , they’ll convince you, too.

    The Scriptures, whether First/Old or Second/New, also revolve around the acts of agriculture. The Israelites come from livestock handlers. Part of the of Joseph was the area of Goshen, which was ideal for livestock. While we often focus on the bricks and straw of Exodus, we cannot exclude the previous generations and their animal husbandry. Most of us a fairly removed from the practice of agriculture. Some of us have gardens that some vegetables (and even fruit). go hunting (to eat not for sport). Others get on a whole cow and among families. Still, these are all really shadows of a way of .

    Thus when we read the story of the seeds being sown, we can miss a lot of the context. A farmer doesn’t just toss seed anywhere, but the sower did. It is symbolic of the of God, sowing the seed of the to the entire world.

    The Garden of Eden, according to Genesis 2, had not yet had crops when God created humanity. As a fertile land, though, the implication is that humanity didn’t exactly need to farm crops. The wild abundance was enough.

    Even later in Genesis 2, humanity was to work the crops. We are made to work. It is what we work at that makes all the difference to God.

    All of us cast seeds. That really isn’t the question. It is the kind of seed that matters. All of us work the fields. It is the kind of fields that we work in that matters.

  • Getting Down

    Getting Down

    Psalm 130; Deuteronomy 1:34–40; 2 Corinthians 5:1–5

    If you’ve ever purchased a home using a loan, you usually had to come up with some sort of down payment. At least near me, a 10% down payment may be $70K or more. Part of that, of course, is the exceedingly high price of houses (and the prices continue to climb). The other part is the bank.

    The down payment exists to show that you have—so to —skin in the game. The bank is making from the loan, yes, but that is also based upon your ability to actually pay off the loan. A loan that cannot be paid back is not really worthwhile, and often even when left with a valuable house from a loan default, the bank will still likely lose money.

    Down payments are usually from the borrower to the lien-holder. Yet, the use the down payment concept in reverse. God is making the down payment. Even in Deuteronomy, the concept is there. It’s buried in the reality that God would “hold onto” the inheritance of the Promised Land until the Israelites that were children could grow into their inheritance.

    Paul calls the a down payment. God is a down payment. It sounds strange, that’s for sure. However, if we think along the lines of God on the cross for our sins (i.e., ), is the Spirit that far out of line?

    ※Reflection※

    • What is the Holy Spirit a down payment for?
    • How does this down payment work in our lives right now?
    • Why does God holding onto the Promised Land for the generation imply to you about your ?

    ※Prayer※

    Lord, grant us the ability to see what you have done and what you do for us. Help us to be fully enabled aides to your here on earth. Amen.

  • The Right Food

    The Right Food

    Psalm 130; Isaiah 28:9–13; 1 Peter 4:7–19

    The Psalm is a cry to people to hold onto God. Not the “opiate of the masses” that Karl Marx spoke of, but an active holding on that requires us to intimately with God, and pay attention to what God says to us. Our whole being is to hope on and wait in God. That is certainly no opiate (dulling of the senses or thought processes) that Karl Marx alluded to.

    The opiate that Karl Marx alluded to was more along the lines of “the people” dulling their through the “opium” of religion, dulling the senses and dulling the pain of . Within the context of his writings, it made sense (and was in many ways correct) insofar as often the aristocracy (though now just as much elected leaders) used religion to suppress change. Hence many progressive Christians declaration that Jesus was a revolutionary that intended to overthrow organized religion.

    In many respects, Marx was correct. Religion “dulls” the pain of a senseless world. Religion provides a framework from which to view the world. Where Marx fell short, from a view, is that he still looked to people to solve the issue. For someone of Jewish descent who converted to Christianity, we might be able to grasp that perhaps Marx’s perspective of religion might not be as insightful as many would like it to be.

    Truly, though, as we read in Isaiah, it’s not as if the Israelites were much better. Basically, Isaiah was calling the Israelites unweaned babies who couldn’t even speak coherently. “Tsav letsav, tsav letsav; qav leqav, qav leqav” is idiomatic wording for baby talk. Even by the time of Isaiah, from God’s point of view, it seems the Israelites hadn’t even gotten onto solid food (also see 1 Corinthians 3:1–23).

    God’s response seems more to be, “okay, if you want to throw your childish temper tantrum because you don’t want to grow up in your and trust; so be it.”

    Right now, in the current , it seems we are surrounded by people throwing temper tantrums…and some of them bear Christ’s ! Peter’s words that judgment is upon God’s own household…that’s us! You may feel that God’s choosing the issue on your heart. You may be right. You may feel that God is not choosing the issue that someone else sees. You may be wrong.

    The words from Peter that should catch us, “…if the righteous are barely rescued…” Those words should take your away. Maybe they should cause you to fall on your knees in .

    ※Reflection※

    • What do you think is religious baby food or milk? What makes it that?
    • What do you think is religious solid (“adult”) food? What makes it that?
    • Reading Peter’s and Isaiah’s words, what are signs of spiritual adulthood? Which ones are you displaying in your life?

    ※Prayer※

    God, sometimes we succumb to our human frailties. Sometimes we just want to be kids again, and up all responsibility. Help us to lead those around us, and those that follow us to be weaned followers of Christ. Amen.