Devotion.al

Tag: human

  • Too Small

    Too Small

    Deuteronomy 7:7–11; Judges 6:13–16; Matthew 13:31–33

    One of the best scenes in the movie, The Princess is when Princess Buttercup and (the Dread Pirate Roberts) Wesley are about to enter the Fire Swamp. Buttercup looks at Wesley and asks, “what about the R.O.U.S.s?” “The Rodents of Unusual Size? I’m sure they don’t exist.” He says the as an R.O.U.S. makes an appearance, and Buttercup’s back is to it and is oblivious.

    Size makes a difference. Often, we are overwhelmed by a problem. As a child, we could have been overwhelmed by something being so much bigger than we were.

    When we about the monumental amount of some people have, and compare our meager bank accounts, size makes an impact. If you’ve ever been in a small car with a big semi coming up quickly behind you, size can be terrifying.

    On the other hand, ants can carry 10–50 times (depending on species and gender) their weight. Humans can indeed lift such weight, but not actually walk and carry over long distances. Grasshoppers can jump 20 times their length from standing. The world record for human running long jump is not even 5 times.

    Size does matter, but just not always in the way we think.

    The people of Israel were not a powerful people. They had no physical place to provide them . Yet, this weak people God would take and overturn the ways of the world.

    After years of oppression, God took the weakest man of the weakest of the weakest tribe to remove the oppressors from the land.

    uses a mustard seed to show the of the but notice that it is not a power of domination. It is a place a habitation and a place of new life. Yet this place of life and birth starts very small.

    The Kingdom of God starts small in each of us. We often look at the tiny thing in us and wonder how we can make it through.

    Yet, we must always keep in mind that it is God’s seed in us. The smallest thing of God is larger than the largest thing of humanity.

    Oh, and the R.O.U.S.’s were defeated by using the power of the mind, not strength.

    ※Prayer※

    Jesus, thank you for the seed of . Holy Spirit, thank you for the nurturing of the seed in our souls. Heavenly , thank you for being the tree that gives us home and life. Amen.

    ※Questions※

    1) What is one of the first memories you have of your size in comparison to another’s? What was the feeling like? Did it cause you to change focus or intent?

    2) Why is it important to understand the imagery of the Kingdom of God in the image of the mustard seed?

  • Red or White?

    Red or White?

    Genesis 18:16–33; Jeremiah 5:1–9; Romans 3:5–24

    God hates me. God would/could never love me. God doesn’t care about me. No one can measure up to that standard.

    Any of those sound familiar?

    When we read stories such as Sodom and Gomorrah it is easy to be overwhelmed by the sheer immensity of destruction. Yet, there in the story there something important to read.

    Abraham’s about the 50, 45,40, 30, 20, 10 and the to the question gives us some insight. From all appearances, there was one righteous man…Lot. Even Lot’s “righteousness” might have more to do with Abraham’s and not Lot’s (see Genesis 19:29).

    From our human perspective, what happened seems out of proportion. The ways of Sodom and Gomorrah were obviously long wrong.  God did not do this on a whim. Yet, in the middle of all the wrong, 10 righteous people would have prevented disaster.

    As the of the glory of Judah approached, there, too, was an opportunity to everything. All it would have taken is one righteous person. As the Scriptures show, however, that was not to be.

    What does this say about us? Paul tells us that it is the very unrighteousness of humanity that displays the righteousness of God. Even in that, there is .

    There is a long list that is part of Paul’s words. It is a list (Romans 3:10–18) condemning humanity for its response to God. Why would God want such creatures?

    If you had someone who constantly said bad things to you, tossed your gifts at your feet (or the garbage), and gave credit everyone but you about the good things you’d done for them, what your response be?

    God’s answer was through the cross. Truth? We aren’t worthy by any measure of that . Truth? God did it out of love.

    ※Prayer※

    , thank you for the cross. Father God, thank you for your mercy on us. , thank you for drawing us to you. Amen.

    ※Questions※

    1) When you read Paul’s list, how does it feel? To you feel condemned or judged? Or, do you feel something else?

    2) How does grace and feel in the face of that list?

    3) What do you think your ongoing response should be as a result?

  • If Not Them, Than Who?

    If Not Them, Than Who?

    Genesis 19:15–29; Isaiah 1:7–17; Matthew 11:16–24

    Sodom and Gomorrah had long been on the example list. “Don’t do this, or you will be like Sodom and Gomorrah.”

    Regardless of which sins you are convinced those two cities are guilty of (though Gomorrah can only be assumed), there is no question that the story of their is dramatic, along with all that surrounded it.

    There was something about these stories that stuck with a person. Whether it was God’s judgment, the portrayal of sexual sins, or the violation of hospitality.

    It seems quite likely that Sodom and Gomorrah were often portrayed as unrepentant. It’s quite possible that additional (non-Scriptural) stories evolved around the two infamous cities.

    This can be inferred from Isaiah’s words to the leaders of Jerusalem. While some of the sins of Jerusalem may indeed match the two cities, the broken represented is the key feature.

    The rulers had been so hard-hearted that all that was left was just shy of the barren and -scorched lands portrayed in Genesis. Now, God was bluntly calling them the worst of the worst.

    There is a strong implication that had Sodom and Gomorrah sacrificed rightly, they might have actually been . Imagine the self-righteous hearts that heard that. They were even lower than Sodom and Gomorrah in God’s eyes.

    That must have hurt their pride.

    When speaks of Sodom and Gomorrah, again they are better than the “good” Jewish cities of Chorazin and Bethsaida!

    There are a couple of things that should tell us. First, the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah grieved God. From a perspective, at least, they wouldn’t keep popping up if there wasn’t something else in God’s heart.

    This also tells us that looking at someone as too far gone is not Scriptural. God is always there…waiting. As severe as Jesus’ words appear to be, they don’t close the door, just provide impetus to go through it.

    ※Prayer※

    Lord, in our hearts there is a part that judges others, appointing them to hell. Help us, Lord, to cast out that part, and to fill it with your . Amen.

    ※※

    1) What are the sins (there is a number) of Sodom and (assumed) Gomorrah? What are the sins (or what is the ) that is really behind it?

    2) What is the danger of focusing on the commonly assumed sins of Sodom and Gomorrah? What about the commonly assumed sins of those who do not declare themselves as Christians?

    3) If God is open to the repentance of those “as bad” as Sodom and Gomorrah, and even those that are worse, who is outside of God’s works of ?

  • There’s Lots More

    Matthew 13:1–23; 2 Corinthians 9:6–15; James 1:5–8

    One of the arguments against God and the saving work of Christ is that people can’t . And there isn’t much to say against that.

    What often goes along with that is seeing the “work” of God. This is ever present, and ever available. People are often blind to it.p>God’s grace flows over each and everyone of us. It is an amazing thing. It’s right there. You still have to be open to it and look for it.

    God is not just the sower. God is a generous sower. The kind of sowing presented in the parable is just plain nuts.

    No farmer, whether now or then, would cast good seed on bad ground. The farmer would prepare the ground, and not just leave it to chance.

    God doesn’t leave it to chance either, nor are we “just” the ground that receives God’s seeds of , hope, and . Our is the kind of ground we are.

    Sometimes, bad ground requires extra work. The seed may be cast while the ground is poor, but overtime the ground can be changed to the point where the falling seed now falls on fertile ground.

    Beyond comprehension (and selfishness), God spreads the of God liberally, not only so that no one may claim that they received nothing; God is generous and does so being that way.

    As we walk in this world, we need to look for God’s generous sowing. Help to be God’s co-laborers in sowing the seeds of love, hope, and faith.

    ※Prayer※

    Lord, in our , help us be strong. Grant us the and endurance to be the same as you, generously sowing the word in love and generosity. Amen.

    ※※

    1) Do you view the world from a perspective of scarcity or plenty?

    2) Why does God sowing generously everywhere matter? What does that tell you about God?

  • Judge? Not Quite

    Judge? Not Quite

    John 3:11–21; John 12:44–50

    There is an ongoing tension in being a follower of . The first is that Jesus came to save the world so that no one would perish.

    On the other hand, without a doubt, there is some sort of of those who have died into those who will be ushered into the throne room, and those that will not.

    For Christians, we have an understanding that knowing Jesus as our savior is a great thing. Some hard things go along with it. Some of them are hard because our fallen nature wants to do them.

    Often, though, the harder part is what the world wants us to do.

    The first thing is that the world does not wish to be judged. Even Jesus says that he is not the judge. Yet later in the , he is. How do we discern that?

    Jesus was not the judge while he walked the earth as the Messiah. Jesus was to bring the and the . People would choose the light or the dark.

    It is after it is all over that Jesus, as God, becomes judge. Even that isn’t so much condemnation, but the discernment of the of the person standing there. We may be “waiting” for judgment, yet Jesus is really looking at our hearts and peeling away the layers that we hide even from ourselves.

    It is their own hearts when confronted at the by God’s words, that will judge them. There might be a silver lining in that though.

    We are often our harshest critics. Like those who asked, “when did we serve you,” there will be those who will be wondering exactly that.

    Of course, there will be those that say, “we did serve you,” and will be condemned by their own hearts that they served for themselves not out of love.

    This is hard. We want the easy way. We want to know that our friends and family who don’t know Jesus will be with us.

    This also how we know that God loves us. He gave a way to come to him. He left the way open for us the leave him (no matter how much it breaks his heart).

    ※※

    Lord, help us to not give up on those we love that don’t know you. Amen.

    ※※

    1) How does one improve one’s Christian walk without judgment?

    2) How does work in comparison with discernment?

    3) How do you evaluate your Christian walk?

  • The Sent

    The Sent

    Jeremiah 1:4–10; Matthew 9:35–10:1; Romans 15:14–19

    When confronted by a calling on our lives, often anything but, “yes,” will cross our lips first. This doesn’t mean, “yes” doesn’t come later. If you’re reading this, in some way you’ve already said, “yes.”

    The question then is, what’s next? That’s often an uncomfortable, life-changing, or even dangerous question to ask. Will you be told to cross the globe, or to go next door?

    The revered prophet Jeremiah didn’t say “yes” to God, at first. We read the Scriptures and it was immediate, but it’s also quite possible that God took a few days. We don’t know.

    We can see from others’ lives though that God works on hearts for days, months, and even years. God nudges, cajoles, encourages, sends others to talk sense into us.

    God basically informs Jeremiah that his arguments are groundless. God had already set Jeremiah as a prophet. Jeremiah only had to be faithful. That is a big only, by the way.

    Jeremiah believed he was unqualified for the duty. He was probably right, from a . God’s perspective was different.

    In many respects, prophets were “sent ones”. They were sent to the people of Israel by God.

    Shortly after the birth of the , the 11 disciples (and later Paul) were called Apostles. Apostle just so happens to mean, “sent one”.

    Jesus had the 11 for up to 3 years. They weren’t prepared for what it meant to follow Jesus (especially after the crucifixion). They certainly would have said, “Us lead a religious organization?”

    We look at the Disciples/Apostles as uniquely called and qualified people. In many respects, they were. They had unique callings, for sure.

    Yet, today the entire church is filled with apostles. We’re not talking the Apostles (as the specially defined ones), but apostles…the universally “sent” ones.

    Some might use the word “missionaries.” The issue is that “missionaries” are often consciously and unconsciously presumed/assumed to be the apostles (sent ones) to other countries.

    Most are not called to another country, and maybe not even another state. They are called and are being sent into coffee shops, restaurants, laundromats, and every other workplace.

    The apostles—the sent ones—are you.

    There continues to be a presumption that missionaries, pastors, and other “called” people are the ones to reach the world. Were that the case, then why did the fall on more than just the 11 (original) + 1 (Matthias, added later)?

    Pastors are called specifically to equip the apostles to reach the world. The church (as a whole) is having to rediscover that. We, as Christians, need to not just assent to it. We need to embrace it.

    Paul encourages the Romans with the words that they are equipped! So are you!

    Does that mean that the equipping stops? Of course not. There is just the reality that no one, not even pastors, will be perfectly equipped for every situation and person.

    If you believe that you are unequipped, seek help! Yet, be aware that just because you believe that you are unequipped that God won’t still use you, or that (more importantly) it excuses you from your calling.

    ※※

    Lord, may we acknowledge the you have made upon our lives, and share the self-sacrificing that you . Amen.

    ※Questions※

    1) What keeps you from sharing about Jesus?

    2) Which is scarier, sharing the with someone 15,000 miles away, or the unbeliever next door?

    3) Why do you think the church, pastors, and everyone else often believe it is the “professional’s” responsibility to share about Jesus?

  • An Abomination

    An Abomination

    2 Kings 25:8–21; Matthew 24:1–22

    The fall of the First Temple had far-reaching consequences. It was the of the of Jerusalem. Granted, the Temple had long been stripped of its gold, yet the Temple was still central to Jerusalem

    With the burning of the Temple, the cultural center was gone. The religious center was gone. Even though they were unfaithful the Temple was still the religious center; it was just used to honor other gods.

    While the King’s palace was administratively important, and the homes were individually important, the loss of the temple was a loss of identity, even if they did not faithfully follow God. This is a conqueror mentality. Break down their identity, and build them a new one (military basic or boot camp has the same principle).

    As the Jews came back, they established a God-honoring life. No, it didn’t last long. It did, for a time, re-form them around God in a good way. However, over time human power and authority threw their earthly weight around, and there were a lot of overthrowing and wars.

    Eventually, the drama surrounding the Maccabean “revolt” and recovery of “right” in the Temple occurred. However, all the interplay amongst various Jewish actors and other parties (i.e., Romans, Syrians, etc.) eventually led to Roman rule.

    Finally, predicts another fall, with the implication of it being more permanent (though that could easily be being read into it). When Jesus talks about the abomination of the desolation, there was one before the Maccabean “revolt”, and there was one after the death of Jesus.

    Some Christians and Jews believe that the “true” desolation was when the Dome of the Rock (as Muslim mosque) was built on the site. It could be a third or fourth desolation or none at all.

    Regardless, after each desolation a significant change occurred. Historians and theologians may whether these changes were good or bad or just were.

    The “hidden” reality is that the desolations were merely signs of a preexisting problem…an ineffective or nonexistent with God. This might seem overreach, especially to modern ears and hearts. Yet, both the Old Testament and Jesus (at least for the two desolations of which they ) tie that in.

    If any subsequent “desolations” were that, we don’t have a revelation about that, but it seems to fit.

    Perhaps we should also draw parallels between this temple history and the . The church—especially in the US, yet also in early 20th Century Europe—has been comfortable for too long.

    Familiarity, as the saying goes, breeds contempt. Contempt toward and in the church is running rampant. It’s not new. The tipping point is coming, it seems.

    Yet familiarity can also breed safety, security, and love. These are not something the church and Christians are stereotyped as. Right or wrong, this is the reality of the church.

    The abomination of the desolation is not (yet) the buildings. It is that the world does not know the church by its love.

    ※※

    Lord, you have called us to be known by our love. Lord, help us love as you love. Amen.

    ※Questions※

    1) Besides the snow one, what do you think of regarding “abominable”? How about “desolation”?

    2) How else might an “abomination of the desolation” look today? Would it be country, state, church?

    3) How do familiarity and comfort play out in our lives: , professionally, community, church? What are the positive and negative results of familiarity?

  • La, La, La, I Can’t Hear You

    La, La, La, I Can’t Hear You

    Jeremiah 26:1–15; Romans 5:1–10 (read online ⧉)

    The news is filled with doom. Doom, doom, doom. Many of our movies and entertainment are filled with doom. In the middle of doom, hope is a breath of fresh air.

    On the other hand, some times a message of doom in a time of isn’t doom upon doom, but a message of God. Granted, the message of God may not seem all that positive. If one is set in their ways, even a message of hope can seem like a message of doom.

    That’s exactly what happens, too. The priests, the (false) prophets, and the people heard the words of Jeremiah. They were very unhappy. “We’re fine.” “The [false] prophets say we’re good.” “The [false] prophets say that God will only bless us.” “God wouldn’t really do that to us. We’re the People of God.”

    Who knows what else they said? We might have a pretty good idea if we were to examine ourselves and the wider community, however. This isn’t about LGBT+. This isn’t about politics. This isn’t even about racial issues. Yes, each of these is a part. None are the whole.

    Perhaps God is allowing COVID-19 to show what is truly important…a deep and meaningful with God. That same relationship in turn would create deep and meaningful with others.

    Yet, there are those who still call this God’s curse as a result of sinful behaviors, though as this is global, it is unlikely (based on Biblical examples). Others look at this as a huge cultural shift that will transform behaviors and relations for some time to come. They are probably correct. Others are looking at this as a troubling time, but insist on trying to to pre-COVID-19 ways either too early, or without weighing all the consequences.

    COVID-19 does show a very human tendency. “Hurry up!” God’s timing is not our timing. Yet, in the COVID-19 season, humanity cannot stop being short-sighted. This echoes the people of Israel spoken to by Jeremiah.

    On the other side of COVID-19 (if there is an “other” side), we might look at Paul’s words to the Romans and God the glory that God has given us afflictions. Then we might see that we can, did, and will endure to the future. Producing [Godly] character in this time might be the biggest we receive (though there is misery in the training) at this time.

    All of this should be producing an outpouring of hope, according to Paul. Christians are called to be the voice of hope in all things, though especially in hard and uncertain times.

    ※Prayer※

    Hope giving God, fill us with hope. With this hope, may we fill the world in turn with the hope it so desperately needs. May we set aside our desires and wants to be the hope. Amen.

    ※Questions※

    1) How’s your hope? Is your hope (or lack thereof) contagious?

    2) What is the primary tone of the that you are seeing in your social media (e.g., Facebook)? What are you doing to bring hope into that?

    3) What place does hope hold in your ? What purpose does hope hold in your life?