Devotion.al

Tag: heart

  • For the Opposition

    Psalm 11, Deuteronomy 32:35, Ezekiel 18:30–32, Matthew 5:43–48

    If you’ve been on social media any amount of time, you might notice that the longer you’re on it, the less you see from those who think differently. Another way to think of it is that the more you interact (click, “like”, just stare at) with a post that makes you angry or feel persecuted, the more posts of exactly that kind you will see. This is the reality of social media that was visibly part of the 2016 presidential campaign and was part of both the 2008 and 2012 campaigns, but we were all just ignorant.

    This is incredibly important to understand and needs to be used to intellectually and emotionally filter any social media or traditional media interaction you have. Why? Because are also experiencing their own confirmation bias, and it might be in tension with yours. The most disturbing part of social media is how it is reinforcing some of the basest tendency…finding an .

    There is no question that we are in a divided nation and an increasingly divided world. The lines are coming more rigid, and the walls between seem to be growing larger. It would be nice to be able to blame social media and the . Except that we are the problem.

    In both Psalm 11 and Deuteronomy 32:35, God makes it clear that it is God’s place to punish “the enemy,” yet we often try to take the place of God. God leaves people to their own demise, but we seem to want to hurry them along, often in an attempt to make ourselves feel/look better.
    Ezekiel tells us that God wants repentance and reconciliation. When God leaves us to our own devices (or the result of our actions) it’s not that God wants that result for us. God never desires our or spiritual . Yet, we often are not the first to aid others, retaining our “us versus them” .

    Jesus calls us to pray for our enemies. Enemies, though, is a very emotionally laden . A better understanding would be those who are in opposition to us. The opposition could be political, differing faiths, differing denominations, differing ideas of whose grass is greener or has more weeds and crabgrass. Persecution definitely is in regards to beliefs, but, still, we are called to pray for them.

    1) changes people. Have you ever had the experience of praying for a person who “opposed” or “persecuted” you and had your heart changed rather than theirs? Do you think that is , or abnormal? Why?

    2) In the context of Jesus’ words and the first question, why does Jesus direct us to pray for opposers and persecutors?

    3) Which opposer or persecutor will you commit to pray for?

  • The Right Signs

    Deuteronomy 10:12–22, Romans 2:25–29, 1 Corinthians 7:17–24

    Circumcision has long been a of being Jewish. For many years, it was used to identify Jewish males and hold it against them. In Deuteronomy (Moses’ farewell address), Moses speaks of the circumcision of the . Moses defined circumcision as being fully devoted to God. There is a warning here that could easily be ignored, don’t rely on actions being evidence of your relationship with God.

    ‘s struggle with the Jewish converts is that they often brought “the Law” with them. As Christianity had come through Judaism, there would be many well-meaning believing Gentiles (non-Jews) who would look to the Jews for regarding the right steps to take. The Jews would default to the way they were raised, the Law. Adult Gentile converts were looking to be circumcised so that they would be in the right. Paul wanted them to realized that physical circumcision was never the point.

    The same thing that Moses was trying to get through the Israelites heads (and hearts) was the same thing that Paul was still fighting, and trying to prevent the Gentiles from following the same path. He was pretty desperate on behalf of his spiritual children and grandchildren.

    Whether it was Rome or Corinth, the “battle” raged on. Minus slavery, we were called to remain as we were (e.g., if Jewish be Jewish, if Gentile remain Gentile) as when God called us. It was not our blood, our skin, our nationality, our wealth that saved us but trusting God.

    1) The often falls into the same pattern of circumcision. The world does, too. Have you judged ‘ or your based upon tattoos, smoking, drinking, or the lack of them, or something else? How about the they came from, or the language they ?

    2) Why do we have to always be on guard against actions rather than ?

    3) Why do we often trust actions rather than faith?

  • Finger-Pointing

    Deuteronomy 1:9–18, John 5:19–30, Romans 1:28–2:9

    We’ve all heard, “if you have one finger pointing out, you have three fingers pointing back.” There is great in that seeming childish saying. It might be better to say it is child-like. the child-like understanding recognizes the 3-to-1 ratio is important. The adult-like , on the other hand, is more like self-justifying 3 fingers, while still pointing with the 1.

    How do we balance the right judgment as called out in Deuteronomy, yet keep ‘ words in mind? Are we called to judge, or not?

    Deuteronomy was about the outward , with the intent of restoration, , and the . The heart was toward a holy with God.

    Have you ever committed, aided, or abetted the following: unrighteousness, evil, greed, wickedness, envy, murder (remember, Jesus puts calling someone a “fool” in the same category), quarrelling, deceit, malice, gossip, slanderer, God-hater, arrogant, proud, boastful, inventor of evil, disobedience to parents, senseless, untrustworthy, unloving, or unmerciful?

    Now how often have we pointed fingers at others for their violation of these, but failed to recognize and for ours?

    Jesus wasn’t calling on us to disregard failures and sins, quite the contrary. He was calling us to give to them, to walk beside them, to aid them, to lift them up.

    1) Have you ever publically or privately shamed a person for committing the same or similar act you have done?

    2) When seeing someone do something you know violates God’s (not man’s) ways, how do you approach it? Accusative, encouraging, helping?

    3) There is a tendency to look at others when reading the list of ‘s. However, we find our actions often on this list. How do you look at verse 1:28?

  • Pain and Blessing

    Psalm 86, Ecclesiastes 7:2–5, Matthew 5:3-10

    The world is often full of pain. In fact, were you to watch the news, it would seem that pain far outweighs anything else in the world. One of the biggest reasons for this is our desire to avoid it. Sounds contradictory. If we look around us, though, often what people pursue is to avoid pain. This could be any kind of pain: hunger, , shame, health, pride, .

    This often leads to problems as we try to hide our pain from ourselves and . We also strive to avoid others’ pain, so that we don’t feel a touch of it ourselves.

    Why is it that the writer of Ecclesiastes tells us to go to the house of mourning? Wouldn’t it be better to be in a fun place? In pain, there is often far more honesty (even if it is pain lashing out in anger) than there is where everybody seems to be having a good time, or at least certainly trying to have a good time.

    takes it even to another level and says those in pain are blessed. Blessed? For most people in pain, blessed is often not the first word that comes to mind. However, in pain is often the time a is more open to . This can be the time the Holy is presented with an open door.

    1) Think of many of the major decisions in your life. Were they based partially on pain or pain avoidance?

    2) We often focus on pain. Why is that, when that’s not what we want?

    3) While Jesus isn’t telling us to deliberately and purposefully live a life of pain, what do his tell us is the ?

  • Barriers to Sharing

    John 20:19–23, Acts 1:4, Acts 2:1–36

    The short vignette in the locked upper room after the seems as if was a snippet of a memory that was lacking something. Yet, John felt it was important. As a precursor to Pentecost, ‘ statement/blessing about receiving the Holy was an important thing. Jesus had already told the disciples that they would only fully be what they were called to be when the Holy Spirit came and that Jesus would have to not be present. Jesus directed them to .
    They waited, prayed, worshipped.
    The Festival of First Fruits (Pentecost) was a Jewish major festival to celebrate the first of the harvest and to praise and God. Probably not as full as it was during Passover, Jerusalem was still a significantly full. In addition, there were likely many people who lived far away but remained for both. Was it as packed? Probably not. Were the spectacle of Jesus and his story still floating around? Probably. They, the disciples and the people of Jerusalem, were not ready for what came next.

    The spontaneous sermon by Peter probably shocked him and the other disciples. While his sermon fell on fertile ground, it is probably not just the words. Any charlatan or false teacher or false prophet can preach a good sermon. The miracle of people of different countries hearing the sermon in their native tongue showed God’s supernatural approval and participation in this.

    We often get tied up in methods and modes of communicating. There are longtime disagreements about modes and methods. Far too many confuse mode and methods with the message. God made no distinction between languages. It was the message that mattered. On the other hand, we could be so concerned about the language (“did they miss the nuance?”) that we forget the effectiveness of mode and message.

    What matters is that the message was heard. The people didn’t God’s message in some tongue that they were not native to, they heard it in the tongue where they knew the nuances. God did not do a poor translation, God did a great one. More than that, hearts were transformed, and those transformed hearts went back home. Of what value is a Jew whose first language isn’t Hebrew? They took home the message that God loves them so much, that he sent his to die for them.

    Pentecost is the birthday of the Church. The whole church. While it took Peter and the other disciples time to recognize what the first sermon was saying (all nations and people can come to God), it was the heart of the Church at birth. The Jewish Pentecost was a celeb.ration of the first fruits of the harvest. The Church Pentecost is about the first fruits of the

    1) The initial response to the supernatural of hearing things in one’s own language was met with skepticism. Why do you think that is?

    2) Speaking in Tongues is considered a gift of the Holy Spirit. What is very unique about this specific display of Speaking in Tongues? If you need a hint, who is missing?

    3) Even today people hold on to methods and modes as essentials to sharing the , rather than the Good News itself. Why do people hold onto such things, often to the detriment of sharing the Gospel?

  • Blessing of Enemies

    Psalm 3, Genesis 14:17–24, Exodus 23:20–33, John 16:1–11

    Enemies are a thing. Sometimes the enemies are more in our head than outside in the world. Sometimes enemies are those that do us harm when they are supposed to be striving for our good. Other times, and currently the most seen, the enemies are those not like us. In , they are not our enemies, they are just different, and difference can be perceived as dangerous.

    Abraham’s victory over those who kidnapped his family was attributed to God by Melchizedek. The enemies of Abraham may not have even known they were the until Abraham came to rescue Lot. For Abraham’s sake, God gave them to Abraham, who was to God.

    As the Israelites have left Egypt and are headed to the Promised Land, they are told that there are enemies. These are the enemies they will have to defeat to recover the Promised Land. God promises them victory over their enemies…as long as they follow his ways. And there is the rub. They didn’t do a very good job of that. Under only a few leaders, and only for a limited time, did Israel actually follow God’s ways. However, the of the time God allowed their enemies to be victorious, and it is directly tied to their orientation toward God.

    So, if things were to continue, one could reasonably draw the conclusion that once we have a and reconciliation with Christ that our enemies would be overcome. Yet, Jesus says the opposite. “You’re mine, and the world hates you because of it. Therefore you are surrounded by enemies.”

    Granted, the enemies that surround us are actually those that have often put themselves against God (whether they are aware of it or not). It still doesn’t make it sound much better.

    1) If indeed we are now surrounded by enemies, how is that the Good ?

    2) There are many kinds of enemies: national, religious, political, general life. Think of those that you know that fall under each of these categories, and what can you do to shine the of Christ into their lives?

    3) Thinking of as enemies can be a beneficial starting point because then you can more easily see the barriers that need to be worked on prior to sharing Christ with them. Why is it important to recognize the barriers that ? What should we do with those barriers?

  • The Other Side of Work

    Psalm 33, Numbers 12, Luke 6:37–42

    The Bible doesn’t say what event or interaction incited Aaron and Miriam to openly oppose Moses. Whether the Cushite woman was Zipporah—who Moses married prior to Israel’s exodus from Egypt—or another woman (Jewish and scholars are unclear) it didn’t really matter (to God, at least). Aaron and Miriam were looking for a cause to sow discord and take the mantle of leadership from Moses. Some scholars believe that by calling Moses humble leadership had been a long-simmering issue, and Moses had kept his mouth shut (publically, at least). The “sudden” interjection by God tells us that something had to happen. God saw that things were going awry.

    As only Miriam received the penalty, we could that she was the instigator. One could argue, though, that if Aaron was no longer clean, who would intercede for him. Moses? There is another lesson. Miriam was put outside the camp. The camp waited for her. After she was determined clean, she was brought back into the .

    Often people will use petty, visual or emotional things to tear another person down. We see it daily in . If, for example, the wife of Moses in question was Zipporah, God called Moses after he married her. That should have been an indicator. If there was some other question, then it should have been more specific. Cushites weren’t a banned people. A phrase that we would be familiar with is “a red herring” or “a straw man”.

    While the case against Aaron and Miriam would seem to be rather strong, why tie ‘ words regarding judging into this? Often we judge others based on less and more feeling. We are often told to our gut when avoiding things or situations. However, we are still bound to test ourselves to make sure we are not judging others. Judging is a hard that is often misused. Judging is specific regarding making critical analysis and condemning the person to the penalty (death or excommunication, predominately). Judging is not comparing behavior to scripture, yet one has to be careful in making assumptions regarding the , for that is God’s domain.

    1) Have you ever experienced a situation like Moses? What do you think were the motivators in that situation?

    2) In your own words, how would you define discernment and judgment?

    3) Why is understanding discernment and judgment essential to having a fully functional Very Good with others?

  • Dancing Fools

    Psalm 148, 2 Samuel 6:12–22, Matthew 6:1–8

    Do or do not before ?

    David danced in all his during a massive 10 mile parade, taking the Ark from Obed-edom’s land to Jerusalem. He was the king. There were many sacrifices happening. There were all the musicians, followers and soldiers that would have been a part of this. What a spectacle that must have been! We see that the Bible specifically says that David was dancing before the Lord.

    His first wife, Micah, watched the parade from the city. His disgraceful behavior (from her perspective) tainted her views of David, and forever destroyed their relationship. There is a strong sense that she feels that a “royal” person (especially the king) should more dignified before the people (and this would have political ramifications with any so-called nobility or courtiers). David’s is classic. He’s okay being undignified before God, because the people will recognize his “poor” behavior for what it is… of God. It would seem he was right.

    Jesus, on the other hand, was dealing with something that superficially the same. The rich and powerful trumpeted their successes, power, wealth, and pretend generosity. The people got on board and praised them for it all. The differences are deep. The rich and powerful really didn’t care as much about God, as they did about the wagging tongues of people. They cared about their power and influence, and what they could do with it. The people did what they did to survive culturally, socially, financially, and live. There was no love or toward the rich and powerful.

    Often the words of Jesus are spoken to chide people from taking false pride and putting it on display. As Jesus said, that is their reward, with the implication being that they get the reward in this life, and there will be no reward for them in next. Yet, it is not bad to take pride in public actions. If Generations Community were to help a working mother put a down payment on a house of her own, yes, it would be good to be public about it, but not to brag on it, or expect a reward for it. Now, notice that this applies to the Framily, not to the . That would be a different story, maybe. Taking this working mother story further, it would be dishonoring of the woman to brag on the story, for then it becomes more about Generations than the reconciliation of a woman.

    1) How does one and parade in front of God, publically, without being seen as one seeking the adoration of people?

    2) While you may not seem rich and powerful, how do behave like those like Michal, and like those that Jesus spoke against?

    3) Would you be willing to dance like a crazy person (before God) down the middle of Main Street?