Tag: life

Finer or Better Things
Psalm 92:1–4, 12–15; 2 Kings 14:1–14; Mark 4:1–20

Every generation is in danger of not being as faithful as the one(s) that preceded it. There is, of course, the huge possibility that “this” generation (whichever generation “this” is) will restart a journey of renewed faithfulness. The church in the US—and so-called Christian Culture—is experiencing a diminishment of significance (whether perceived or real). The US is about 4 decades behind Europe in this.

While Jesus taught in parables (such as in today’s passage in Mark), the Old Testament is mixed between prophetic vision, history, poetry, and realistic/poetic history. The story of Amaziah is historical, and yet there is something there for us as a parable.

In many respects, the church has been Amaziah. We haven’t dealt with our shrines (see yesterday’s devotional) and our blind spots. We were proud of our significance and we struck out against the world…and we lost.

In response, the gold, silver, and holy objects that we held so dear as vital to our well-being were taken away. We have been stripped of much of our glory. In fact, much of the church is drenched in mud and other filth that will take years to clean off and even more years to remove the aroma.

Like Amaziah, we confused our title (king, or Judah, or “the church” or “the kingdom on earth”) with authority and worldly power. We also confused the title with a right to certain outcomes. We have been deeply disappointed.

This is a good thing.

Perhaps it is my pastoral and “church” circles, and not yours. I hear the constant refrain of “back to normal” and I don’t want that. I want a church and a people that care more about planting the seeds of the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ than are worried about Washington, D.C., COVID, and so forth.

It is not to say that we should not be concerned about Washington, D.C., or COVID (or whatever else). It is to say that they have become gods and idols that we turn to while still saying we are God’s.

※Reflection※
- Where in your life do you see yourself following the trappings rather than God?
- What is missing in the message from/to Amaziah and Joash, and why is that important?
- How and where are you casting seeds? Are you casting sparingly or generously?
※Prayer※

Lord, help us to release everything of the world so that we are free to only grab onto you. Amen.
2021-06-12
Choosing the Fruit
Psalm 92:1–4, 12–15; Genesis 3:14–24; Hebrews 2:5–9

There is something odd about the story in the Garden of Eden, and it isn’t the Fall (though that is central to our faith). The story in the Garden of Eden revolves around loving obedience/respect of God (that was a failure) and two trees.

The apple (usually red) is the fruit to represent the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Not being a red apple fan, it can be hard for me to see the attraction (as Eve was attracted to it). It really wasn’t an apple, maybe. We don’t know what it was.

Based upon what was provided in the story of the Fall, neither Adam nor Eve had experienced death or evil. Therefore, even their concepts of life and good were not very deep. Describing a beautiful sight to a person born blind, or beautiful sound to a person born deaf is kind of like trying to explain, good, evil, or eternal life to people who have no experience.

What did the fruit of the Tree of Life have? Some people have created imagery that show that the Tree of Life also produces apples. That similarity is interesting but peculiar.

It is the fruit of the trees, though, that show something about God. Some say that God put the trees as a test for humanity. It might be better to think of them as aspects of God in material form. As Christians, we talk about eternal life as the ultimate gift of following Jesus Christ. Eternal life was originally just a fruit. As Christians (and definitely as Nazarenes/Wesleyans/Methodists/etc), we talk about holiness and believe in it. To be holy, one must know what evil is…perhaps.

This, of course, will immediately cause many to shake or tremble, for by that logic, if God is holy (which God is), God must know evil. The fruit of the trees shows that. Knowing what evil is does not mean one is evil.

The fruits are a foreshadow of what is to come for those of us who believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. We will receive the “fruit” that remains in the Garden and will know what evil is so that we know what truly Holiness is.

※Reflection※
- How does knowing evil help you know what holiness is?
- Why is knowing holiness important?
- As you think of yourself on the spectrum of 1 (Holy) to 10 (Evil), where are you?
※Prayer※

God, you have made us lower than you and yet love us so much. Help us to know what evil is that we will instead know what it means to seek you. Amen.
2021-06-10
Changing Diapers

Psalm 74; Isaiah 26:16–27:1; Luke 11:14–28

When Joni (my wife) was pregnant with our first (to be born) child, we had an odd conversation with another couple. They told us (almost mockingly) that soon our conversation would change to include the color and consistency of our child’s poop. We chuckled. That was ridiculous. Who would talk about poop so much that a couple would bring that up? A few months after our first was born, we had to laugh at ourselves when we realized that was exactly what had happened.

Before our first was born, we could read lots of books and received lots of advice. Nothing prepared us for being a parent. Conversing about poop was only a minor life change. A weird one, definitely, but only a minor one.

For those of us on the other side of pregnancy, we tend to forget what we were like before it. When Isaiah talks about pregnancy and childbirth, we envision that, but we neglect the before. Just like we could never imagine talking about baby poop as a topic of conversation, we couldn’t understand the life change of having a child…until it happened.

The same really can be said of Israel. They didn’t understand. There were a few who got it, but they were (it seems) very few indeed: Moses, Joshua (mostly), maybe a couple of judges (though most were a mess), Samuel, David, Isaiah, Ezekiel, and the other prophets (major and minor). To round up, that’s maybe 30 over 1500-ish years. Granted, these are the ones written about. So, if we round up even more to 300 people, every 5 years of Israel’s history (prior to Jesus), a single person gets it.

Before someone proverbially smacks me, most of the Israelites are followers (and, yes, the numbers are hyperbole). They followed where the leaders led (sometimes). Sounds kind of like us.

So, when we get to Jesus, we get the testing and questioning and just flat out not believing. Yes, we think we would respond better to Jesus than “those” people obviously did. Except, we are on the other side of the pregnancy.

We have the Holy Spirit. For us, looking back we see where God was moving. The Jews to this day also see where God was moving, as do the Muslims. We, however, see Jesus. That is the gift of the Holy Spirit.

That is the gift that people pre-Pentecost didn’t have (even the disciples). It is the gift of those who know Jesus or who have responded to the nudging of the Holy Spirit through prevenient (that which goes before salvation) grace.

Being aware and recalling what we were like before knowing Jesus through the Holy Spirit will help us reach the world. There is a caveat to this. For those who knew Jesus as a child, this may be very hard, unless there was a significant spiritual crisis of some sort in later years (based on my witness of this). So, if you don’t know the pre-pregnancy (i.e., pre-Holy Spirit) life, that’s okay. God will still use your life and story to reach others.

Many people will question our faith, not because it is unbelievable (though many will use that word), but because the Holy Spirit has not been ignited in them. We are to remember that almost all of humanity was like that. We were no different. We give them grace and love in this, for God did the same for us.

※Reflection※

If you were a teen or adult when you came to know Jesus, what life like before then? If you were a child when you came to know Jesus, what spiritual “desert” or “wilderness” did you experience that transformed your faith into something greater?

※Prayer※

Holy Spirit, help us to recall what transformed our relationship with God through you so that we are able to translate that into the lives of those yet unsaved. Amen.

2021-06-09
Field Work

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

2021-06-05
Getting Down
Psalm 130; Deuteronomy 1:34–40; 2 Corinthians 5:1–5

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

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

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

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

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

Lord, grant us the ability to see what you have done and what you do for us. Help us to be fully enabled aides to your mission here on earth. Amen.
2021-06-04
The Right Food
Psalm 130; Isaiah 28:9–13; 1 Peter 4:7–19

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

God, sometimes we succumb to our human frailties. Sometimes we just want to be kids again, and give up all responsibility. Help us to lead those around us, and those that follow us to be weaned followers of Christ. Amen.
2021-06-03
No or Many Blessings

Psalm 20; Numbers 6:22–27; Mark 4:21–25

You may know the song, “Count your blessings, one by one…”

The “Aaronic” blessing outlined in Numbers is one of my favorites. As a pastor, I will default to it at appropriate times (such as the end of a church service). First, of course, it is the one used to bless the People of God. The way it ends with the blessing…putting the name of God on the people warms my heart.

Think of all those blessings: protection, God’s glory, God’s grace, God’s watchfulness, God’s peace. Those are pretty mighty blessings. If we really understood and experienced these blessings, perhaps we might actually be able and willing to tell the world about Jesus.

Yet, we seem to be inclined to put the blessings under a basket. We keep the blessings behind closed doors. Perhaps, we don’t really believe in the blessings we say we do.

※Reflection※

Review the blessings as noted in the Aaronic prayer. Can or do you see any or all of them in your life? Do you share them with anyone?

※Prayer※

Lord, help us to not just see our blessings. Help us to share them with one another and especially the world that does not yet know you. Amen.

2021-06-02
Loving Presence
Psalm 20; Exodus 25:1–22; 1 Corinthians 2:1–10

“…so that I am present among them.” (Exodus 25:8)

It seems like a strange statement to us as Christians. Our theology talks about God’s omnipresence (God is everywhere), so a tent doesn’t really change that. The tent was, however, the place set aside for meeting God. As part of the rhythm of the post-Egypt life for the Israelites, the Tent of Meeting was the center of movement of the entire nation for 40 years.

After the clearing of the Promised Land, the Tent had a semi-permanent place, and still remained the primary place of worship. The aspect of being present may have been more along the lines of the focal point. Many years later, there were seers and prophets that didn’t necessarily reside near the Tent. They met with God in their own way. Ultimately, they too had to go to the Tent of Meeting for the annual worship events.

It reflects the reality that humanity needs that kind of physical center. As our lives become more digital, it is still to be determined whether humanity can really separate its psyche from the physical reality of existence.

The internet, its digital relatives, its predecessors (TV, radio, telegraph) were not the first extended form of communication. Paul’s letter to the Corinthians was also extended communication. From the ancient perspective, the written letter was considered representative of the person themselves. The barriers in the ancient world (education, distance, cost) actually increased the “presence” of a mere letter. Not quite an ancient Zoom meeting.

Diplomatic letters didn’t always have a physical meeting before. A personal letter, such as Paul’s, usually did, and we can see that it certainly did. Paul’s words to the Corinthians would be treated more seriously and intimately than an email, tweet, or Facebook post.

Paul doesn’t shy away from his insecurities in this letter. We Christians often think of Paul as some great person (he was), but avoid his statements regarding his weaknesses. Without question, Paul would have been a champion blogger and writer of our day. He would not have likely been a convention speaker or YouTuber. Based upon his own declarations of his weaknesses, regardless of his writings, he may have never qualified to be a lead pastor of a church.

Lead Pastor doesn’t seem to have been his gifting, so this is not a bad thing. Through his presence, though, churches and communities were launched. Through his letters, churches were built up, disciplined, and discipled. Through his life, he brought up the next generation (Timothy) to lead. We often evaluate our ministry and giftings through the lives and gifts of others. Perhaps we ought to just evaluate them on whether we were present in others’ times of trouble when we had the opportunity to love them.

※Reflection※
- Who is one Christian that you wish your ministry or Christian life resembled? Why? How does your life resemble theirs? Are your spiritual giftings the same as theirs?
- Who has made the biggest difference in your life? A famous Christian, or someone who loved you through your darkest times?
※Prayer※

Lord Christ, helps our lives to be one of presence to others that they can sense your love coming from us and pouring into them. Amen.
2021-06-01
Worship Even Here
Psalm 20; Numbers 9:15–23; Revelation 4:1–8

Trusting God is hard. Trusting that all things work for good is hard. How can COVID be good? How can a bad economy be good? How can not being able to be with our loved ones be good? A lot of this hasn’t been good.

For the psalmist, that isn’t the question. For the psalmist, it is that God hears, answers, and remembers. This doesn’t mean that everything will be easy going forward. It means that God is with you.

Assuming that this written by or about David, note that there really isn’t a mention of rescue. Not really. David had experienced many hard times (some as a consequence of his own actions). God didn’t spare him hard times. God was with David and responded to David in the hard times. Much of this would seem to come from David’s rhythm of worship and communion with God. From what we can gather (which is, granted, limited), David had a regular practice of seeking God.

The pattern that the Israelites had wandering in the wilderness was different. Most of us cannot imagine being wanderers, whether the Bedouins of the Arabian Peninsula or the homeless around the corner. The Israelites had a wandering pattern for 40 years.

The pattern wasn’t fully predictable. For those of you have traveled with children, or been in the military, the ability to gather everyone and their stuff in a short amount of time is trying. Imagine trying to do that every day. Most nomadic cultures move about seasonally, but the Scriptures imply that more than once they got settled down for the night, and had to pack the next day.

During pauses between travel time, the Tabernacle (or The Tent of Meeting) would be assembled, and worship would begin. While we can read the takedown and set up, what we miss is the worship that goes along with it. The cloud was the presence of God. We can assume that on the Sabbath that they would not travel (it’s a safe assumption, at least).

While this seems strange to us—especially for those that worship at the same building week after week—we can read in Revelation worship that is beyond our comprehension. 24 people praising God day and night, and saying the same thing. While this is really a vision, thus not necessarily exactly how it will work, the difference between the Israelites wandering and the people praising would seem to be stark.

It is. It is, that is, only if you focus on the how. Worship of God is not limited to a building one day a week. Communion with God is not necessarily in that perfect time. Both can happen at any time. We just need to be looking for it.

※Reflection※
- What do you think these different visions of worship and life rhythms tell us about God?
- What do you think these different visions of worship and life rhythms tell us about ourselves?
- Do any of these cause to reflect on any changes that are possible for you worship rhythms?
※Prayer※

Holy Spirit, guide the worship rhythm’s of our hearts. Help us to find ways and places to worship God in the face of all circumstances. Amen.
2021-05-31
Unity of Three
Isaiah 6:1–8; Psalm 29; Romans 8:12–17; John 3:1–17

In the current age, the concept of the Trinity has been attempted to be explained by books such as “The Shack” (which acknowledges itself as an allegory and not as doctrine, a key response to those who decry it), or an egg (shell, white, yolk), water (which, under special circumstances, can exist as solid, liquid, and gas at the same time).

In older ages, the three-leaf clover, the sun (sun, light, heat), and the Triquetra and triples circles (the symbol on the featured image) were used in an attempt to explain the Trinity. All of these are allegorical (whether current or older). While, if used wrongly, they may lead to false theology, there is no adequate way to really describe the Trinity.

The Athanasian Creed is an attempt to define the Trinity, but honestly is a theologian’s way to describe and cover all the bases and is really (overly) complicated. It is traditional in liturgical churches to read it today, as today is Trinity Sunday. It is long, so I will not include it in the devotion itself (you can read it here). While it is complicated, it is essential. Even in its complication and desire to cover the entirety of the Trinity, it cannot explain the Trinity fully.

The reality is that the Trinity is indeed one of the hardest things to understand, and on this side of life barring perhaps someone at the theoretical physics level and higher plane theological level (there’s an interesting combination), none of us will fully get it. It is truly a matter of faith.

It is also an important one. If you have been baptized, the baptizer should have said, “I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.” Though in some churches they may eschew “the Father” for “the Mother” (which is an issue, but probably not one that is salvational, though that is up for discussion), or use “God” (which is definitely an issue, as Jesus is God, and the Holy Spirit is God), the Trinitarian form is still followed.

Much of the theology of the church (and thus orthodox Christianity) is built upon the Trinity. We can see glimpses of the Trinity in the Scriptures, but it is (when we’re honest) threads woven through the tapestry of Creation and the Scriptures that we, as humans, try to codify and define in our constant attempt to understand God, Creation, and ourselves.

Even devotionals (like today) get stuck in theology when talking about the Trinity, for we just want to understand.

※Reflection※
- How would you explain the Trinity to others?
- How do you explain to yourself, or understand for yourself, the Trinity?
- Why do you think it could be an important part of your Christian faith?
※Prayer※

Almighty and everlasting God, you have given to us your servants grace, by the confession of a true faith, to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity, and in the power of your divine Majesty to worship the Unity: Keep us steadfast in this faith and worship, and bring us at last to see you in your one and eternal glory, O Father; who with the Son and the Holy Spirit live and reign, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. —Book of Common Prayer, 2019
2021-05-30