Devotion.al

Tag: leader

  • Living in the Gray

    Nehemiah 13:4–22, Matthew 12:1–8

    Nehemiah was “just” a layperson. He probably had no formal religious or other education. He wasn’t a “” of the people. He did, however, have an important position of with King Artaxerxes. To be the cupbearer meant that you were trusted with the king’s and even the life of his royal guests. Nehemiah had an important place of trust and service. Since it was such a trust-based position, it is telling that King Artaxerxes valued Nehemiah enough to be willing to have another take the place of the cupbearer while Nehemiah was away.

    Nehemiah had a hard task of restoring the city of Jerusalem while politicians in the surrounding area jockeyed for position and control of Jerusalem. No doubt it was hard and trying. However, the harder task was fixing what started the mess…the hearts of the People of God. The became the place to stay. The was a day like any other. The Levites were landless and in dire straits. The remnants of Israel had lost their center. They had lost their God. Nehemiah threw out the “guest” in the temple, so the Levites would have their (appropriate) space. Nehemiah restored the tithe so that the Levites could do their job. Then Nehemiah added to their tasks, making them the preservers of the Sabbath (by force of arms if needed).

    By the time of , the Sabbath was being followed religiously. The Levites were receiving their tithe. The Levites had a place to stay. If just looking at these things in the time of Jesus, one could be convinced that Nehemiah was very successful. Outward appearances can be deceiving. The rituals were all in place. The rules were all in place. Even more, were added, just to make sure. The rules, however, became oppressive. You might be aware of a phrase, “they Jesus, but not the .” That’s where many people were. They God, but they wanted nothing to do with the religious leaders.

    Between Nehemiah (rules needed) and Jesus (rules are too much), there has to be a middle-ground. The problem with the middle-ground is that it is hard and often undefined. We like our nice and neat categories. We want black and white; no gray. That is not life.

    1) Where do you see more rules being needed?

    2) Where do you see fewer rules being needed?

    3) Where do you see a balance being needed?

  • Lead In Love

    Mark 9:33–37, Acts 15:36-41, 1 Timothy 6:3–11

    It is an amazing fact that you might have learned yourself: people are different, and don’t always agree.
    There are various kinds of disagreements, and it is not necessarily bad to . In fact, it is often through disagreements that better solutions, not just compromise, can be found. In our current political environment, compromise is now a bad thing, as members of both Republican and Democrat parties entrench themselves. While the President may be the focal point, the reality is people seem to have lost the ability to discuss hard things without devolving to name calling and pointless posturing.

    The disciples argued with each other regarding who was first among Jesus’ disciples. Two of them, Peter and John, probably had the strongest claim (from what scripture tells), but that this argument appeared to be amongst all of them indicates that Peter and John’s “ranking” was not as prominent as we think. This would be a pointless argument. While figuring out who is the is often a good discussion at other times, their little group had a leader…Jesus.

    The “sharp disagreement” between and Barnabas is one of the biggest examples that not everything went perfectly well and peaceful all the time in the . John Mark was the point of contention. What the exact issue was, both past and possible future, we can guess. Neither leader (for both were leaders) felt they could compromise regarding John Mark. They separated after being so long. They had some sort of later. This shows us that we can disagree well, and part ways. It doesn’t seem that either held it against the other for long.

    Paul understands that there will be conflict and arguments. In his letter to his protégé, Timothy, Paul doesn’t say don’t argue, but that people who seek argument are to be corrected. We all want to be right (and viewed that way), but most of us are aware of our limitations. We are able to be humble when wrong.
    As the world starts to stop talking and only yell, the church (with its many human failings) should show the way. As the church deals with uncomfortable topics, it should lead in . This starts right here with our .

    1) Have you ever had an argument which has been left unresolved, and thus straining or destroying a ? Was it friends, immediate , or was it framily? What can you do to resolve things?

    2) Why is it so important to understand that we don’t always agree and that it is okay?

  • A Different Journey

    Psalm 85, Numbers 33:1-56, Galatians 5:16–25

    We are born. We die. The beginning and then .

    In between the beginning and the end there are many steps to take.

    The Israelites were finally at the end of their wandering in the desert. They had taken many steps in the desert. With God’s and care, clothes and footwear did not wear out. They were at the end of their journey was at an end.

    That journey ended, and a new one was about to begin.

    The Israelites were not always good at following the path that was laid out for them. They certainly messed up a lot, sometimes out of pride, sometimes out of strong emotion. It’s not as if we, too, have not stumbled on our journey.
    In many ways, the new journey the Israelites were about to start was far more dangerous. Moses, their great , would not be with them. It was not that Joshua was a bad leader, he just wasn’t Moses.

    In the desert, they were tempted but relatively isolated where their sins and failures were relatively (note the relatively) harmless to the whole. However, now they were entering a place of permanence. Isolation would no longer be a form of security. They were entering the land where other gods were worshiped. They would be sorely tempted by people who were their neighbors.

    A different journey indeed.

    We have a single long journey to walk. It has many stages, each them a journey unto themselves. Walking by the is the way to walk our journey in a way that brings and to God, and to find the True path to the Good .

    1) What major changes in your journey do you ?

    2) How did each of those changes affect your walk with ?

    3) Both the journey in the desert, and the journey at home had dangers. How were they the same, and how where they different?

  • Living After

    John 21:1–19, Isaiah 43:1–12

    We often stop with the of Easter. That’s the big event. It’s understandable. It wasn’t the end of the bodily resurrection of . Often when we are stressed or unsure of ourselves, we to old habits. Peter’s old habit was fishing (it was his occupation, too). It was quite simple, and probably even automatic, to go back to fishing. It was something solid, earthly. It was also something to do. Scripture implies that Peter wasn’t the calmest and patient person. It doesn’t take much imagination to Peter’s frustration and restlessness coming to a boil…, “I’m going fishing.”

    Next, we read a very similar encounter with too many fish being pulled up. You can easily imagine someone smacking their head when they make the connection.

    Then Jesus asks Peter 3 times about feeding his (Jesus’) . The context of taking care of those that followed Jesus was obviously important to Jesus. Jesus was important to Peter. The 3 times was both admonishment and intimate. Peter was, it seemed, the new servant-. Peter just wanted Jesus. Not that many days ago in Peter’s journey, he denied Jesus 3 times, fell asleep while called to pray with Jesus, left Jesus to die. There is something about this particular encounter that was much more than “just” the resurrection. This was .

    Restoration is a common theme in scripture. Isaiah called on the people. Announcing that God would restore and reconcile. Granted, maybe not in the way they wanted. It is unlikely that Peter would have chosen to be reconciled to Jesus the way he was. can truly be extraordinarily painful. Peter experienced it. Israel experienced it. Yet, when we come to reconciliation we often flee the . Beyond the pain is a new .

    1) Peter ran away (and other stuff). The people of Israel were almost destroyed. Reconciliation was on the other side. What is different, and what is the same in these two different times?

    2) Theologians have vigorously discussed the 3 admonishments by Jesus to Peter. What do you think they mean, and why are they important?

    3) Sometimes people need space and practices to process what has happened to them. Do you ever need that? Do you know people who need that? How do you process events?

  • Sacred Mourning

    Psalm 25, Lamentations 3:22–27, Matthew 27:62–66

    Are your clothes in 1 piece? One of the traditional Jewish responses of extreme grief or anguish is the tearing of their clothes. Yesterday was . Jesus died on the cross. Are your clothes torn?
    While they were able to put Jesus’ body in the tomb in time, nothing else happened. Everything just stopped. On top of their world being disrupted by Jesus’ , now they had to wait to honor the body of their friend, master, brother, son. In our day and , we don’t have this waiting period. We just get it done.

    Today, people will have egg hunts, parties, gatherings, trips, and so on. This is not to knock such, after all, often they are a way we (as Christians) get to the good news.

    However, perhaps it is time for us to come up with a new tradition, a Sabbath unlike any other that we hold (if we actually observe any). It is probably too late for you this year but put this as something to think about. Perhaps we too busy preparing for that we stop waiting. Why is this important, you may ask? It is a symptom of our lives and even our religious practices. Hurry up and get it done. When this is how we live our lives, how do we ever have the ability to wait for and on God?

    In the movie, the of the Christ, there is a raindrop from the sky, implying that God the Father mourns. Let us mourn with God the Father, and with all those who lived beside Jesus. Below is the Mourner’s Kaddish, a Jewish prayer usually spoken in Aramaic (not Hebrew, interestingly). While there may be no “leader” (L) to lead you the people (P), think of a congregation together saying this in an annual (for it is done annually in honor of those who have died) service.

    L: May His great Name exalted and sanctified…
    P: Amen
    L: …in the world that He created as He willed. May He give reign to His kingship in your lifetimes and in your days, and in the lifetimes of the entire Family of Israel, swiftly and soon. Now say:
    P: Amen. May His great Name be blessed forever and ever.
    L: Blessed, praised, glorified, exalted, extolled, mighty, upraised, and lauded be the Name of the Holy One.
    P: Blessed is He…
    L: …praise and consolation that are uttered in the world. Now say:
    P: Amen
    L: May there be abundant peace from Heaven and upon us and upon all Israel. Now say:
    P: Amen
    L: He Who makes peace in His heights, may He make peace, upon us and upon all Israel. Now say:
    P: Amen

  • Revealing Unity

    Numbers 16:1–50, Romans 16:17–20, 1 Corinthians 1:10–17

    Most of us have heard John Dalberg-Acton’s quip, “ tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” What is most often missed is Acton’s “tends”.

    David Brin takes a slightly different tack, “It is said that power corrupts, but actually it’s more true that power attracts the corruptible. The sane are usually attracted by other things than power.”

    Lastly, Robert Caro’s take might be the most significant for us, “We’re taught Lord Acton’s axiom: all power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely. I believed that when I started these books, but I don’t believe it’s always true anymore. Power doesn’t always corrupt. Power can . What I believe is always true about power is that power always reveals.”

    Korah wanted more than he had. Whether he wanted power, prestige, or influence, is unclear. Who knows, maybe he thought he could earn holiness by being the chief priest. Regardless, his entire family was given a duty in regards to the holy things of the temple. It was still an , but as some many of us struggle with, it wasn’t the honor he wanted. The undercurrent of this is power. At this point, the religious was the people’s leader. It’s not clear whether Korah convinced people to follow, or that they gathered somehow. The reality is that they did gather. Scripture says that they rebelled against Moses, but as the story unfolds into the relation that as they were rebelling against the leader chosen by God, they were rebelling against God. Without question, Moses was chosen supernaturally by God, and there were multiple events that testified to that. It was abundantly clear. However, in our day-and-age is it the same?

    How our leaders are chosen is different than such an obvious outward sign of God’s hand. It is through , wise thinking, discernment, and much counsel that good leaders are chosen. However, we are all . Leaders make mistakes. Followers make them too. Two of the biggest obstacles to unity are not necessarily tied to the leadership position itself (for who wants the blame), but the influence and power of the leader, then there is and envy. This is human reality. Human selfishness often hides behind the of doing the best for others, but truly only serves the self. When talks about divisions in Romans, there are obviously people stirring up trouble. That’s got to be dealt with. Most people expect the leader to do it, yet it is not the leader’s responsibility, it is the responsibility of everyone. There is mutual and responsibility in the community. Yet, people will still be people, and divisions will occur.

    In Corinth, we read of divisions of which person they follow. While most of us would say, “I follow Jesus,” is that true? As the Western World runs away from Christianity (sometimes with good reason), while the Middle East and Eastern Worlds actively oppose Christianity, the Church has to come to a form of unity. The Church for far too long has been separated for good doctrinal reasons, but the reality is that every denomination and unaffiliated congregation will have to come to some sort of agreement with one another. As long as the church eats itself, it cannot feed the world the Bread of Life.

    1) Where do you see the greatest unity in your personal life? Where do you see the greatest division?

    2) Where do you see the greatest unity in the world around you? Where do you see the greatest division?

    3) For each of the above, what can and will you do to build unity and heal division?

    FD) People usually separate from others when they are hurt emotionally. What can we do to help?

  • People Dynamics

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  • Legacy of Enemies

    Psalm 35:11–28, Exodus 35:1–29, Acts 10:9–23

    Sometimes the greatest evidence that we are doing well is those that oppose us. Another way of perhaps saying that is that the measure of one’s is the quality of one’s enemies. Some scholars have claimed that part of the reason why David had so many struggles was the jealousy of others that we don’t read about.

    Whether it was the counselors of Saul or (later) David’s Absalom, some scholars believe that there must have been more than Saul and Absalom in the picture. Many times there are those that we are no looking at that are truly the ones guiding things…the power behind the throne, so to speak. We could think of such people positively, as there were and are many counselors who believe their greatest success is the successful leader. On the other hand, there are those who hide behind the leader, using the leader as a distraction from themselves, so as to hide their deeds in the shadows.

    These last ones are in the same spirit as those about whom David laments. David has cared for them. Lamented for them. Prayed for them. How did they repay the care? By piling on when David was down. Not only did they mock him, but they also made it worse by saying bad things about him. They celebrated his misery and misfortune, they who had benefitted from his and care. As David looked , he relied on God to see him through it all. David’s was at stake, and his response was to turn to God. David, like all people, wanted personal success, yet understood that his true legacy relied upon the faithfulness of God.

    Moses understood that everything relied upon God. While in the desert, God called upon the Israelites to give to something greater than themselves. Through Moses, God called upon the Israelites to give from their hearts so as to make a to their God, a symbolic reminder that their God was among them. If you’ve ever read the list of items required to make the tabernacle, it’s easy to see how monumental that list was. It also speaks to where the hearts of the Israelites were at that moment. They had escaped slavery with much of the Egyptian wealth. For the most part (there are always exceptions) they freely gave of this newfound wealth to the creation of this temple, rather than hoarding it. Instead of holding on to what would make them individually rich, they gave to something that made them collectively richer than material goods. Yet, if they had just piled all of that stuff at Moses’ feet, nothing would have happened. Instead, people of skill (particular skills of varying types) were required. God just so happened to have blessed some people with those very skills. Out of the collective goodwill, in addition to skills of certain people, and through the leadership of Moses, something greater than they could have imagined came into being. How could a bunch of slaves tasked only to make bricks make something as intricate and amazing as the tabernacle? Through God.

    This amazing event that helped to define a people for generations also captured the hearts of the people, and not in a good way. They had become so ingrained with the outward appearance that when God did a new thing, they were still blind. People important to the seemingly insignificant were so blinded by the wrong legacy that they could not see the that was never hidden by God. It had been wrapped so tightly and so much by human will and tradition, that God’s love could not be seen through it all. When Peter had his vision, he too was still captured by the traditions passed down. It was not that God’s law was wrong or ever invalid it was just that the deeper (and Truer) truth could not be seen. God is love. Peter had to have an experience that challenged the legacy he had been handed that God was a God of (rigid) Law. Peter had to have an experience that showed God meant what he said to Abraham, “you will be a to the nations.”

    1) Legacy is important and must be part of how we frame our lives. However, we must be careful to hand off a good legacy. How can we work to make sure we leave a good legacy?

    2) What makes a legacy good or bad? What makes a legacy live-giving or not?

    3) What are your thoughts about what legacy you will leave behind?

    FD) What family traditions were (or are being) passed down to you?