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Devotion.al

Tag: Jesus

  • Unveiling Transfiguration

    Psalm 99, Exodus 34:29–35, 2 Corinthians 3:12–4:2, Luke 9:28–36

    Sometimes things we are unaware of about ourselves become a separator be us and others. Imagine Moses already feeling the pressure of leading these people. The strain of leadership along with the regular stubbornness of the Israelites would always keep some separation between Moses and the people. In addition, Moses’ history as part of Pharoh’s household would always be an underlying issue. Now Moses presented himself before God, and he was changed. He was physically different in such a way as apparently people avoided looking at his face. Moses then put on clothing (a veil) that physically and psychologically separated him from his people. We all want to not have to wear masks. We all want to be able to be ourselves with others. Moses no longer had that option. He had to wear a mask (the veil) so that people would interact with him. Moses was blessed to be able to have such an intimate relationship with God. On the other hand, because of that relationship with God, Moses’ relationship with the people was not so good, as they struggled with it.

    Paul uses this example to help explain the way it was in comparison to the new life in Christ. The new life in Christ is where each person, not a single individual, has a relationship with God. In addition, instead of having an outward sign (though still possible), it was now an inward work. As it is now God working inside of us, we are freed from the “veil” that separates our “normal” life from a life with God. However, sometimes we become confused as to how it works (which is easy to do).

    Peter, John, and James accompanied Jesus up the mountain. There was obviously an expectation that this would be a time of reflection and especially prayer. A time of confrontation was not expected by Jesus’ followers. They saw Jesus change from a man to something more. As men steeped in the lessons of the Jews, they would have understood that this is the glory that people experienced when looking at Moses, and yet it was not just Jesus’ face. His entire being and even his clothes were transformed. Adding to the reality of this, Moses (the venerated first prophet) and Elijah (the prophet that was to precede the Messiah) were present. This was beyond any and all expectation.

    Whether the men wanted this experience to continue, or whether they were trying to be respectful, it doubt strange to build shelters. On the other hand, the expectation of being able to visit the great men of Israel (Jesus included) would have been a transformative thing for the entire community, yet it was not to be. The presence of Moses and Elijah accompanying Jesus was not to establish the wise men of Israel but to establish Jesus’ rightful place. the last words to Peter, James, and John, though, was the real lesson. This was the teaching that the prophets and Jesus were handing off the leadership of the new covenant to the next leaders.

    Peter, James, and John were selected. Despite their future failings, there were still the ones that would be leaders of the community that was coming. They would be bearers of God’s grace, truth, love, and freedom. Their personal relationship with Jesus showing that anyone can have a personal relationship with God.

    1) What “veils” exist in your spiritual life?

    2) What things, opportunities, habits, people keep you from relating to others and God?

    3/FD) What lessons can you learn from Peter, James, and John in this event they experienced?

  • A Day Off Or A Day For

    Psalm 99, Deuteronomy 16:1–17, 1 Corinthians 10:23–11:2

    If you look at the calendar of any country, you will find a number of secular (i.e, non-religious) observances. Sometimes these to get mixed into religion, and some are just odd. Today, for example, has the following “observations”: Day of Unplugging; Pig Day; Employee Appreciation Day; Salesperson Day; Horse Protection Day; Fruit Compote Day; Plan A Solo Vacation Day; World Compliment Day; Refired, Not Retired Day; Dress in Blue Day; Wedding Planning Day. Whew! Did you know so many things/people were “observed” today? That doesn’t even include the week or month observances that March 1st occurs in. Yikes!

    Our word holiday—as you might have guessed—is a conjoining of holy and day. Just the conjoining of the two words creates a problem. In the British Commonwealth (the UK, Australia, New Zealand, India, Canada, etc.), holiday has come to mean vacation. That came into being as holy days were the days people didn’t work. It became associated with leisure rather than God. Even in the US, we use the word holiday to note a day off (except for Holidays, when we mean all the observances starting with Thanksgiving through New Year).

    As the Israelites are about to enter the Promised Land, certain days are being set aside as Holy Days. Some of these Holy Days are non-working (Sabbath) days, but they are not all required to be. What is common across all of them is that God is part of the day. In fact, God is the focus of each of these days. What elevates them over the “normal” Sabbath day is the purpose of their observances, whether it be Passover (salvation/escape from Egypt), bounty of the harvest (that God blessed them), or remembering the wilderness wandering (God lead and took care of them in the wilderness for 40 years).

    Why we remember is as important as what we remember. As we quickly approach the season of Lent (Ash Wednesday is March 6th), it is easy to dismiss holy days as either a mindless or fruitless activity. This is especially true with Lent, as many people use Lent to stop/pause an activity (Facebook, certain foods, etc.) that they need a healthier relationship with anyway. This is not to dismiss these actions (for they can be very good), but to understand the why. Lent is a time of reflection intended to identify with Jesus’ 40 days in the desert, to set our minds to look to the cross, and Good Friday. In other words, it’s about Jesus, Jesus, and Jesus (respectively).

    Why do we remember Holy Days? For the same reason the Israelites were to…God. What do we remember? What God has done, and how God has done it. As a Jew, Paul was very much aware of the power of Holy Days and traditions (Lent is both a group of Holy Days and a tradition, for example). Paul valued them as part of his identity, and also part of his formation. While Gentile Holy Days were minimal (versus Jewish ones), there were still plenty of secular days of observation, and they all mattered.

    1) Have you ever been bored by a holiday? If not, how do you stay excited and engage with a holiday? If you have, how will you become engaged again?

    2) Does recalling or focusing on the fact that a Holy Day (holiday) is about God change how you view them?

    3) Holy Days and their rituals can be empty of any value or meaning if you let them. What will you do to maintain or put value and meaning back into them?

    FD) What is you favorite Holy Day? Why?

  • Catching What

    Psalm 99, Deuteronomy 11:1–25, Malachi 4:1–6

    Truth and story cannot truly be caught. They must be taught. And it doesn’t end there. Teaching may often have the appearance of catching, and if the teacher is truly skilled, the hearer/learner will not realize that they have been taught as they have already internalized both truth and story. Actions and words have to be repeated over and over until they become programmed. Yet, the church and the Israelites often stopped there. Empty words and empty actions are empty of all value and relationship.

    It isn’t until the connection is made to the heart that words and actions (i.e., Truth, story, ritual, etc.) truly begin to reflect what the intent is, and begin the journey of relationship. A great (yet sad) example is The Lord’s Prayer. Most long-time Christians can repeat the prayer. Yet, how many are not affected in their hearts when they say the words. Far too many.

    During his long farewell speech, Moses talks about binding the words to hands and heads. The Israelites turned that into both an art form and a boasting form. By the time of Jesus, the words bound on heads and hands (called phylacteries) became a source of bragging rights with their size. That missed the entire point. Moses talks about writing the words of God on the doorposts of houses or city gates. Christians today have scripture and “inspirational” quotes on their walls and even their phones. Many Christians vocally advocate for the 10 Commandments in courtrooms. How many of them, however, actually read—let alone follow—those words?

    Moses words were followed in a way they weren’t intended. These guidelines or suggestions were treated as rules. Moses’ whole point was to do whatever it takes to make sure that God was put first and never forgotten. Moses wanted the people to live and breathe the scriptures and the stories not to earn God’s favor, but because God had already poured his favor out! Moses intended for a way of life to develop that people would be formed by God, and not by man.

    His concern wasn’t so much for the generation who had grown up in the wilderness following the cloud of God. They had watched their parents—who had disobeyed and opposed God—die in the desert. Their very lives from the cloud to six-days-a-week of mana was based on God. It was their children and grandchildren (their and his legacy) that Moses was concerned about. The parents had had God so ingrained in their practices that they could easily take it for granted (or, honestly, forget). They had to teach and form their children to prevent drifting away from God.

    There is the famous “Pot Roast Story” of a mother teaching her daughter how to prepare pot roast. When the mom cut the ends off the roast, the daughter asked why. The mother really didn’t know and responded with, “that’s the way my mom did it.” The story goes on, and it ends with the daughter finally asking Great-Grandma the reason. The response? “Because it didn’t fit into the oven.”

    1) No matter who we are, we are always teaching. What are you teaching others about following Jesus?

    2) You cannot force someone to connect heart with action. You can nurture it, however. How and who can you nurture to be more like Christ?

    3) Is there some family or church ritual that you always wondered why? If so, how can you find an answer?

    FD) What are some family rituals that your family has? What do they tell you about your family?

  • Forgiveness Such As This

    Psalm 38, Leviticus 5:1–19, Luke 17:1–4

    “Already forgotten.”

    “Don’t worry about it.”

    We sometimes hear these words when trying to apologize or make amends for something we have done wrong to another. Sometimes the person says these words as a veiled acceptance for the apology. Sometimes it was so inconsequential to them that they spent little-to-no time thinking about it after it occurs. Forgiveness is often spoken of in churches, encouraging each of us to forgive wrongs committed against us. Much of the time it is forgiveness towards those we are distant from (physically or by death, for example). Not that this isn’t good. The question is, can we accept apologies and repentance when given?

    In this passage in Leviticus, the phrase, “…without being aware of it, but later recognizes it…,” is repeated multiple times. How often have we done something wrong, and only later realized we did it? Sometimes we do something and don’t know that it is wrong, but we do we are to make amends once we realize it. This should be the state of our relationships with one another, if we become aware that we have offended, we make amends. The reciprocal of this is being grace-filled people. Often people will innocently and/or ignorantly hurt us. Often it is actually the remnant of an old hurt that someone has triggered, yet we hold this new person (and new offense) against the old pain. We then go down the grace-less path of thinking, “they should have known better,” or something like that. Or, if something is so obvious an offense, we are offended both by the offense and their ignorance (or we sometimes say their callousness). God doesn’t operate that way, which this passage in Leviticus shows. If God doesn’t behave that way, why would we?

    Yet, it seems that many people inside and outside of the church are unable to forgive and unable to accept apologies and/or repentance. We can look at a lot of media stories where people said what is now viewed as stupid and harmful, yet at the time they said it, it was well within the norm. Take the show Seinfeld (proudly a comedy show about nothing). It has been running in syndication for years, but viewership is dropping. Millennials and Generation Z do not find the humor in much of it (granted, the humor was of limited appeal anyway), as much of the cultural language that was appropriate and even “sensitive” for the time is now inappropriate and horribly insensitive. Before you say, “they’re a bunch of snowflakes,” or “they need to stiffen up,” or “they need some thicker skin,” or “they’re just looking for something to be offended by,” think about your own response. Instead of feeling attacked or put on the spot, realize that you are behaving the same way they are…offended.

    There is a huge cultural change occurring, and some of it, though painful, is actually good. Ultimately, we are headed toward a kinder and gentler nation (truly). It’s just that right now we’re using hammers and chisels on each other getting off the high spots, and it hurts. There are some exceptions to the general tendency towards kinder and gentler (and it isn’t just one name, either). The reality is that our cultural and generational language is getting a long-needed overhaul. Really, this is a good thing. What has happened, and many of us are unaware of it, is that offenses, abuses, oppression, suppression have become such a part of our cultural and generational language that we are often unaware what message we convey with the words we use. The reason this is important to truly understand is that while we go through this paradigm shift we are going to offend each other…a lot.

    This is why having a personal understanding and responsibility regarding grace, forgiveness, repentance, and reconciliation is so important. We can keep being offending. We can keep remembering the hurts and offenses, or we can be like Jesus.

    When Jesus is speaking to the disciples (similar words can be found in Matthew 18:6–9, 18:21–22) there is an underlying question of, how much forgiveness is enough? When we ask that question we are speaking from the flesh (or sin) nature, rather than the saved (or sanctified) nature. John Ortberg (Pastor, Menlo Church) proposes that Christians use up more grace than “sinners” because grace is God’s power at work in us. So, use that grace with one another! God’s grace is unending! As long as you keep using it and keep asking for it, God will keep pouring it! Remembering who offended us and how is easy (and natural), it’s what we do afterward that shows whether it is us or Jesus who is the Lord of our lives.

    1) An unspoken part of Jesus’ directive on repetitive forgiveness is directed at the forgiver: accept and forgive wholeheartedly. Have you ever “forgiven” someone, but held back from wholeheartedness by saying (in effect), “trust but verify”? If you hold back on forgiveness by even the tiniest portion, have you really forgiven?

    2) There is always a balance of forgiveness versus safety. Is it really “versus”, though? In this context, repentance and forgiveness are tied together. How does that work in your life?

    3) What does the passage in Leviticus show about God’s perspective of human nature?

    FD) What is the difference between apologizing and repenting?

  • Lost in Memory

    Genesis 39:21–41:36, Psalm 9:1-16

    Old age, being “blonde”, being scatterbrained, being AD(H)D, having a bad time with names are all often used to excuse memory issues. While there are definitely cases of that being true, another cause of memory issues is being overly mentally occupied and pride. Each person and even each situation may have a different cause for why we don’t remember names, dates, or other important things. Today it is quite easy to be overly mentally occupied. We are being bombarded with messaging and media. Even if you don’t have Facebook or Twitter, the bombardment doesn’t stop.

    The question we need to ask ourselves when it comes to memory problems is it about me, or is about how important they are to me? Yes, that’s a poke indeed, isn’t it? You just met someone and ten seconds later you forgot their name. It sadly probably means that you don’t care enough to remember. Yes, that is harsh, and we all bear that failure to some degree or another. The reality is that we only have so much capacity to remember, and we prioritize information unconsciously. If we don’t think we need to remember the person, or that it’s okay that we don’t, we won’t. The Dale Carnegie course trains people to remember people the first time. Yes, there are other things with the course, but often the feedback from the very first day is the instructors’ ability to remember everyone’s name the first time and keep the knowledge to the next week. We don’t deliberately think this way. It’s natural.

    That’s part of what makes this part of Joseph’s story so interesting. With the help of God, he interpreted the dreams of two men. All he asked in return was to be remembered. Think about this. Both the baker and steward were in the midst of a significant life event. Generally, when people are involved with our significant life events, we remember them. The baker, of course, would have liked for Joseph to be wrong. The steward’s dream was positively affirmed, and then the baker’s demise was yet another confirmation of Joseph empowered by God…yet the steward forgot. It seems it was a pretty quick forget, too. While we might be quick to condemn the baker for forgetting, we have to remember that we, too, forget people, and even those that were part of a significant life event can be forgotten.

    Remembering people’s names is important. They feel cared for by that simple gesture of being remembered. We show we care for them when we remember.

    Eventually, the steward did remember, and it’s a good thing, too! Imagine what would have happened had the baker continued to forget Joseph! Egypt would have enjoyed its bounty and been destroyed along with the rest of the region during the famine. God’s blessing would not have been bestowed. Who knows what would have happened to the tribe of Israel? What about Jesus? Yes, we can say it was God’s plan, yet like so many things it revolved around singular defining events, including remembering a Hebrew slave prisoner.

    1) Have you had the experience of someone remembering you unexpectedly? How did that feel?

    2) It is important to God that we remember. What is something significant that God has done in your life that you continually remember?

    FD) Do you have any special trips or experiences you like to remember? How do you keep them in your memory?

  • Not Always Better

    Deuteronomy 9:1–9:7, Psalm 36, Romans 5:20–6:11

    You have been trouble from the beginning of this! Moses’ long good-bye speech (all of Deuteronomy) is a summary of God, God’s message, God’s calling, and Israel’s past, current, and future response. It’s not pretty.

    We can often look at the Israelites and question their memory, wisdom, or sanity. How do they keep making the same basic mistakes? Of course, we really get the Cliff Notes or Spark Notes version. A quick summary of the highlights, 40 years of highlights. If you could only write the highlights of your life, you could make it short, too. Plus, you would write about you, and some close family, and maybe some large events. This summary of the Israelites journey from Egypt to the threshold of the Promised Land (for the 2nd time) is for a populace that many times larger than the City of Marysville. If we took only our highlights, or perhaps lowlights, our story may sound similar. Moses is driving home a point. Don’t take God’s blessing for granted, and don’t ruin the inheritance of God.

    Much of the story of the Israelites’ travels from Egypt to the Promised Land is about hearts that were not continually grateful (and therefore humble). They had food they barely worked for (Mana). They were (generally) protected from enemies. Their clothes and sandals didn’t wear out. They had plenty of herds. They had plundered Egypt. They became comfortable with what they had and felt they should get more. They looked back at an idealized and false view of Egypt and threatened to return to Egypt if they didn’t get what they wanted. They certainly weren’t righteous. They were definitely stubborn. They were receiving the result of God’s promise to people long dead. God was faithful.

    Even in Moses’ time, the truth of Paul’s words still rings loudly, “…where sin multiplied, grace multiplied even more.” (Romans 5:21) Throughout the journey, God’s grace was abundant. While the Israelites didn’t think this way, apparently there were Gentiles that wanted to sin more (or thought they should) so that God’s grace would be even larger. Paul’s head may have not been in his hands in disbelief, but nevertheless, his disbelief comes through his writing. Of course, we should seek to sin more! That’s what we were saved from! Why would we go back to that life? Oh, wait, that sounds familiar. The Israelites wanted to go back to “that life.” Somehow, the slavery that they left (the law and sin) was somehow better than the Promised Land (grace and blessing).

    That is, however, the problem with many of the sins we struggle with. It seems “better” to live that way. It seems “better” to the world. It seems “better” to those around us. It must be better than.

    1) Why do we often return to the bad stuff (habits, behaviors, thoughts) that Jesus has been and is working out of us?

    2) Why does our knowledge of the way we used to live still pull us back?

    3) The Israelites left harsh conditions. Why would they choose slavery over freedom? When have you done the same?

    FD) What is grace?

  • Interceding Love

    Genesis 44:18–34, Isaiah 59:15b–20, Hebrews 7:11–28, Romans: 8:26–39

    It has been said the person who does not pray for their spouse will have their prayers bounce back. It has been said that a person who is not prayed for by their spouse will experience the same. It does seem to be a catch-22. It isn’t. This is to be a lifestyle of prayer, not once or twice. It is to be regular. One should know best what one’s spouse needs prayer for, maybe even better than their spouse. Prayer shouldn’t end there. People should pray for their parents, grandparents, children, grandchildren, and other family members. People should pray for friends. People should pray for their #Framily. People should be praying…a lot. This sounds like a lot of shoulds, and it is. Intercession is an act of love toward and for others. Do you love people? Pray for them.

    Not all intercession is prayer. In Genesis, Judah intercedes for his brother Benjamin on behalf of their father, Israel. Yes, there is a lot more to than just that. Intercession is often putting oneself in the place of another, just like Judah was trying to do with Benjamin. Understanding the “putting oneself” piece is put into a larger context when Jesus says, “No one has greater love than this: to lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13) Life has many places where one can and should intercede for others.

    While Judah was trying to avoid the breaking of his father’s heart, Isaiah speaks to the people of Israel. The leaders are not interceding on behalf of their people. They are not supporting and living out justice. Therefore God has to exercise salvation. Justice and salvation are part of intercession. Think about that for a moment, and go back to intercessory prayer. Justice and salvation are part of that, too. THANK GOD! That’s where Jesus comes in!

    The author of Hebrews notes that Jesus’ intercession on our behalf means that we receive salvation. As Jesus continually (until the end of this world) is before the Father interceding on our behalf. Just as Judah interceded to keep his father’s heart from breaking, Jesus (from the Tribe of Judah) intercedes on our behalf so that God the Father’s heart is not broken by losing us. When Judah died, there could be no more intercession. Jesus is eternal so the intercession never ends.

    As if that wasn’t enough, the Holy Spirit intercedes on our behalf in the intent of the first piece, intercessory prayer. 2/3 of the Trinity is interceding on our behalf. Jesus and the Holy Spirit interceded in one heart/mind/spirit with God the Father, on whose behalf Jesus came for us. It is just amazing!

    1) If that much of God is about interceding, should our response be any less?
    2) God obviously views intercession as important. Do you view intercession as an important part of your walk with Christ as God views it?

    3) Why is intercession for others so important? Does intercession change your heart regarding those people for whom your interceding?

    FD) Have you ever defended somebody who didn’t “deserve” it? Why or why not?

  • Growing Knowledge

    Isaiah 5:18–24, Luke 11:37–44, 2 Corinthians 11:1–11

    Much of today’s passages revolve around religious leaders, religious know-it-alls, and egotistical maniacs using religious language. It is really easy to point out the flaw of our and of course everybody else’s religious leaders. Oddly enough, they’re human too. The easy thing to point out is when their pride gets the best of them, and it becomes about them, and not God. We should not be so quick.
    In Jewish tradition, just accepting one’s faith was being a child (which was good). Yet, owning one’s faith meant digging into God’s words and ways, especially with others. Ignorance was no excuse. Christianity continued that tradition (despite what many naysayers would have you believe). We weren’t just to inherit the faith, we were to embody the faith. There is one point where Paul admonishes his charges to be eager to stop being children (“spiritual milk”) and become adults (“meat of the faith”). We are not to have a milk toast kind of faith.

    The flip side, however, is that there are those who take their knowledge to the extreme. These aren’t even the, “so heavenly minded, they’re no earthly good.” These are the people whose quest for knowledge or pride in having knowledge overrides their relationship with God and others. These people are often the religious leaders that Jesus struggled with. Their knowledge or legalistic formulae were perfect. Their walk was anything but.

    The “super-apostles” that Paul wrote about were people who were great debaters or scholars. They believed they have the corner on the right spiritual knowledge. They certainly had the rhetorical skills to make Paul acknowledge that he wasn’t good at public speaking. Yet, while he was religiously well-trained he set it aside to have a relationship with Corinthians so that they could see how the life was to be lived out. Paul took his knowledge and applied it to their lives. He also lived with them. He loved them. When we talk about #Framily this is what we are talking about. Milk knowledge is starting knowledge. It is not supposed to stop there. That’s just the beginning. As we walk in the Christian life, we learn from and teach others. We struggle together. We live life together. Great religious knowledge is the flip side of great religious ignorance. That little space between them is where we need to be.

    1) Have you ever experienced a Christian that saw themselves as so knowledgeable about the faith that you disliked them? What about that was uncomfortable for you?

    2) Have you ever experienced a person that called themselves a Christian, but as you talked with them, you realized they didn’t really understand what that meant? What was the feeling you had?

    3) The biggest thing about #Framily is walking beside one another. How can you walk alongside another in those situations above?

    FD) Isaiah uses the word “woe”. There are 2 primary meanings: sadness and beware. Which do you think Isaiah meant?

  • How Do We Look?

    Psalm 120, Mark 13:9-13, 2 Peter 1:20-2:9

    Psalm 120 is a lament. The psalmist is among those who live a life of lies. These same people are warmongers, seeking strife and conflict. The psalmist is living in foreign lands that seek no peace, but the cry of the psalmist’s heart is for peace. The psalm begins with the end. God answered him, the rest of the psalm is about what the problem was. The truth is that while the psalmist was referring to a specific people, we all know the type. There are those that do not seem happy unless there is conflict. There are those who do not trust peace. When one does not have peace, one resorts to force fairly quickly. We are all guilty of this to some degree. Sometimes the response is yelling, crying, ambivalence, disregard. These all are violent to the heart and soul of others, and often to ourselves. We quickly think that all violence is physical. The truth is that violence is the outward sign of an inward pain.

    Jesus’ words in Mark are certainly not comforting. They can be terrifying. The internal strife of families torn apart. Neighbors calling out neighbors. Remember the Second Great Commandment? Love your neighbor as yourself. This is the outward sign of it not being so. Jesus is warning that his peace is not the peace of this world. All too often, the peace of this world is bought and paid for by blood and death. The peace of God is not so. The psalmist understood this. The response of the psalmist to those around him was, “God save me!” It wasn’t a slap to the face, or something more. It was prayer. As Jesus continues, he refers to the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the source of the peace of God. When the Holy Spirit resides in us, we can respond to those around us with a grace and wisdom that is not ours.

    The God-ly wisdom of the Holy Spirit requires our humility. Peter has to confront people already who say that they have a new revelation from God. Peter is quick to point out that the prophets themselves did not understand their prophecies (unless granted so by God). It was only after the fact that it was proven that their prophecies were true. This is an important thing as the church, and groups that masquerade as the church, often have those that call themselves prophets or revealers or divine actors of some sort that are bringing a new truth from God. Often these new truths are then used in ways that are violent to the hearts and souls of the innocent (and even not-so innocent). These people use the power of media, guilt, society, anything at all to crush the hearts of the people of God. We too can be guilty of using God in this same way. God’s ways are the ways of peace. God’s ways are the ways that sooth and heal.

    1) Has some “religious” person ever said something to you that was hurtful? How did that make you feel toward the religious they claimed to follow?

    2) Often (and rightly) people are told that if they are abandoning religion because of people, then they are looking at the people not God. What does that mean, then, when we also say, “we may be the only Jesus they every see?”

    3/FD) Being a peace-lover or peace-maker does not mean being a pushover. How does one make peace without violence?

  • Engraving Hearts

    Jeremiah 17:1-4, 2 Timothy 3:1–9, 1 Peter 2:4–10, Luke 3:7-8
     
    Imagine having a heart so hard that you need an iron needle or a diamond point to put a mark in it. That is the hardness of the human heart, not just toward God, toward their fellow man as well. The Israelites were completely and utterly spiritually lost. The diamond point and the iron stylus were engraving the loss of that which they valued. Their idols and treasures were taken away. Their freedom was taken from them. It wasn’t that God didn’t offer a choice, God did. They chose to ignore it. Whether it was pride, stupidity, ignorance, or poor training, we will never know. It could be a combination of it all. This was not the last time either.
     
    When Paul writes to Timothy, there are already difficulties. They are under Roman rule. From a Jewish perspective, they are almost at the same level as their forebears that suffered previously. Instead of writing something positive, Paul warned Timothy that it was going to be worse. The list of issues that Paul writes about is really nothing new. How they form in people’s lives, how they are reinforced, how they are lived out may look different, but the basic reality is that there is nothing new under the sun. There will always be deceivers, whose hearts are hard. God still uses an iron stylus and a diamond point on our hearts.
     
    Yet not all hearts of stone are equal. Jesus Christ is the heart of our faith. Peter called Jesus a stone that people tripped over. As the “rejected” stone, Jesus also became the cornerstone of our faith. When Jesus is the heart made of stone, it solid, firm, and the basis of our faith. There is a transformation here. The original heart of stone is one that rejects God. The new heart of stone is God. Weird isn’t it? There is a time where John warns the Jews that God can make a whole new family from a bunch of rocks. We are the rocks; we are the family.
     
    1) Normally we think of hearts of stone as bad. What do you think of it now?
     
    2) Engraving on stone is difficult. One generally does it if the value of the stone is high, or the contribution of the stone to the greater whole is high. Why do you think God spends so much effort engraving on hearts of stone?
     
    3) We are quick to point at others regarding their “hearts of stone” toward God. Reread Jeremiah and Timothy. Where is God calling you to soften your heart toward him?
     
    FD) What is a cornerstone? What does it mean when we say that Jesus is our cornerstone?