Devotion.al

Tag: love

  • Separating Ourselves

    Separating Ourselves

    Romans 8:31–39, 1 John 4:7-12

    📖 Read

    ‌Romans 8:31–39 , 1 John 4:7–12

    ‌🔎 Focus

    ‌”…nothing…can us from the love of God…”
    Romans 8:39

    ‌‌✟ Devotion

    ‌There is a fundamental , here, that no should ever deny. Yet, if you read the list of “separators” that Paul notes, what do you see as missing? Anything?

    ‌There are many who quote these words from Romans 8:39 that reasonably apply these to non-Christians because, “…God is love.” (1 John 4:8) This is where potential issues may arise. It isn’t only about whatever accommodation is being made, but how we understand and the road to life with God.

    ‌Nothing seems so all encompassing. How could anything, then keep us from the love of God?

    ‌There are a number of things that could be reasonably argued would seem to invoke exclusion: unbelief, hatred of God, a different understanding of God, ongoing and deliberate disobedience of God’s ways.

    ‌The potential issue isn’t that God doesn’t love the unbeliever, hater, different understander, rebellious. God does. It is not false, then, to say that nothing can separate us from the love of God.

    ‌Separation from God’s love has never been the problem, at least from God’s of things. It is our separation from God that is the issue.

    ‌Who is against us? Well, the general ways of the world are. It is our following of the ways of the world that are our separator.

    ‌Are we not given everything? Yes, insofar as we have given ourselves to God through accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, and doing our best to embody the way of Jesus through our living.

    ‌Who will bring charges against us? The world. The enemy. These cannot separate us. Our inner voice/critic can, but only if we allow it to draw us away from God. The can, but the Spirit brings “charges” against us, not to condemn us, but to free us.

    ‌Can affliction, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, peril, sword, rulers, things (events/situations) of today or tomorrow, angels or powers separate us? No, but our response to those things can.

    ‌It is here that we can agree with the Reformed (Calvinist, etc.) , that nothing outside of ourselves can separate us from the love of God. Even if we separate ourselves from God, God’s love does not fade away.

    ‌God’s unfailing love, however, does not guarantee of eternal life, and that is the rub for so many, including many Christians. It isn’t about earning God’s love, but the place that God has in your life and being.

    ‌🤔 Reflection

    • ‌Do you ever feel separated from God or God’s love? How?‌
    • Do Paul’s words comfort you or concern you? Why?

    ‌‌⏏️ Act

    ‌Make a list of ways (including some Scripture) that you can reassure yourself of God’s unceasing love for you. Share them with another person, and see what ways they come up with.

    ‌🙏 Prayer

    ‌Every loving God, thank you for this reminder from your Apostle Paul that things outside of ourselves can never separate us from your love. Help us to restore our well-being to sense, feel, believe, and in your unceasing love. Amen.

  • Hearts and Ashes

    Hearts and Ashes

    📖 Read

    ‌Psalm 32; Isaiah 58:1-12; Hebrews 12:1-14

    ‌‌🔎 Focus

    ‌Happy are those whose transgression is forgiven, whose is covered.

    Psalm 32:1

    ‌The LORD will guide you continually and satisfy your needs in parched places and make your bones strong, and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water whose waters never fail.

    Isaiah 58:11

    In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.‌

    Hebrews 12:4

    ‌‌✟ Devotion

    ‌ Valentine’s trust was in Jesus Christ. He is reported to have said that Jesus Christ brought the only true and promise of a better world. That didn’t earn him any friends with the Roman rulers. It seems that converting others to Christianity led to his . Saint Valentine was martyred on 14 February.‌

    Today is also Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. This is a season of repentance and . It would seem to not mesh with the dominant view of Valentine’s Day with its romantic (almost saccharine and vapid) view of . Love, especially as lived out by Jesus, often doesn’t match the secular view of it, but our measure is Jesus, not the world.‌

    While you might not be called to be a martyr, the author of Hebrews points out that we often up in our fight against sin, even though we have not gotten to the point that our blood was shed. And, yet there is a dominant trend in post-Christendom to throw our hands up, because Christendom has fallen.‌

    In many respects, it seems that we are more inclined to anger and defensiveness, rather than resting in the fact that our transgressions are forgiven, our sins covered; as a result of such, we ought to be happy. Can you imagine how we could the world not just with love, but with the happiness of that love.‌

    We are talking about the love of Jesus Christ for us, and ours of him. We are not talking about the love of the world, its stuff, its powers, its parties, and so on.‌

    When we this and also remember that God’s water of love and life never fail, you would think that the world would not shake us. We are human, so it does.‌

    There is a lot for us to reflect on: historical issues, our politics, our lifestyles, the wars, the sicknesses. There is so much in the world that causes us not to reflect, but to react. We react out of our humanness.‌

    We are called to reflect upon ourselves and the world through the lens of Christ’s love, then we are better equipped to react in Christ’s love toward a world that desperately needs it.

    ‌🤔 Reflection

    ‌What are current areas discussed in life (politics, lifestyles, war, immigration, and the like) that you have strong feelings about? Do you default to the comfortable and/or your community? When was the last time you measured your reactions to Christ? Do you ever ask yourself, what would Jesus do?

    ‌‌⏏️ Act

    ‌As you reflected, what came to mind? All of us have earthly perspectives that are not Jesus-like, and likely need work and repentance. Think about the issues that you respond the most strongly about (good or bad). Look in the Bible for some possible perspectives that will bring you more in mind like Jesus.

    ‌🙏 Prayer

    ‌Jesus, help me understand how you view the world and me. Spirit, please guide my transformation from a person of this world to a person of the Kingdom. Amen.

  • Devoted?

    Devoted?

    🔎 Focus

    ‌“The one who is in a very little is also faithful in much, and the one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. If then you haven’t been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will entrust you with the true riches? And if you haven’t been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will you your own? No can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”

    Luke 16:10–13 NET

    ‌You cannot serve God and money. Money is the translation for the Aramaic word mammon. Mammon can be defined as an abundance of material possessions and resources. Mammon can also be defined as wealth and riches.

    ‌‌✟ Devotion

    ‌When we read this passage (or its parallel in Matthew 6:24), we tend to get hung up on money. A lot of that has to do with the hard decisions translation teams have to go through balancing equivalency, adequacy, and length. When we expand our understanding to that which is beyond money, we can see a bigger picture.

    ‌For decades, the US (and other so-called first world nations) have sent their cast-offs to other nations.

    You Can Have It

    ‌An example is the standard tongue depressors in a doctor’s office (i.e., those big flat pieces of wood that look like large popsicle sticks). In the US, per government regulations, they have an expiration date, as do beds and other equipment. Depending on the item, and shipping costs, the expired items (perfectly functional) are sent to other nations, where they receive a second life.

    ‌This is wasteful. Yet, we often demand the latest and best, so such waste is a result of our demands. If such waste is reused, it can be considered okay in our culture, but such waste is also a love of stuff…the latest and greatest.

    We Want More

    ‌We are deluged with advertisements for the latest smartphone that the mobile operator will give us for free (but we’re really paying for it in 24 monthly installments). Such ads and promos work because we love our stuff.

    ‌However, what if it really isn’t about stuff or even our love of it? What if we tweaked it a bit to recognize that while Jesus is talking about material goods and worldly wealth, it is all about our hearts?

    Not Yours?

    ‌“…if you haven’t been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you your own?”

    ‌The often used parallel is that it is all God’s, and as God gave it to us, we are using God’s property. It’s not just about an employer or shareholder or spouse or , it’s about God.

    Your True Mammon

    Tomorrow (Ash Wednesday) is the beginning of Lent. It is a time to deliberatively think about where our lives are not in line with God’s and to self-reflect on it. What, you may , does this have to do with mammon? The first resource that God gave you is…you. Your life on this earth is not only what you make of it, but what you give of it to God, and how you serve God with it.

    ‌🤔 Reflection

    ‌Have you ever given something to someone and watched them mistreat it or destroy it? How did that make you feel? How did you ?

    ‌If indeed God gifted you yourself and your stuff, how do you think God feels about the mistreatment and destruction that God’s witnesses?

    ‌‌⏏️ Act

    ‌It has been said by many that your checkbook (or bank transactions) shows where your is. Yet, if you give all your worldly wealth to evangelism, compassionate care, building funds, to a local , but you don’t give yourself, then are you where God has called you? Where do you shortcut giving yourself to God, and what small step will you take to fix it?

    ‌As Lent begins, you may or may not be giving up something. Regardless, think through what God gave up and how that applies to your life.

    ‌🙏 Prayer

    ‌‌Gracious God, you have given us so much, and we live in such a blessed state that we are now condemned to only see what we want to keep and what others have that we don’t. Help us to see your gifts as you want us to see them. Help us use your gifts as want us to use them. Guide us to see that these gifts are the extension of ourselves and the state of heart and the state of our with you. Amen.

  • Our Blindings

    Our Blindings

    Read: Luke 13:23-30

    ‌‌‌🔎Focus

    “For ways are under the eyes of the Lord, and he examines all their paths.”

    Proverbs 5:21 (NRSVue)

    ‌‌✟ Devotion

    ‌When you read the passage (Luke 13:23-30), what did you focus on? Did you focus on ‘ command to enter the narrow door? Did you focus on its narrowness?

    ‌While Jesus’ answer is very important, you’ll note he didn’t actually answer the question, at least in any way that is definitive.

    ‌“Lord, will only a few be saved?” (Luke 13:23 NRSVue)

    ‌What if the issue is the question itself?

    ‌“There are no right to wrong .”

    Ursula K. Le Guin

    ‌

    If you don’t the right questions, you don’t get the right answers.

    Edward Hodnett

    ‌How did you read the question in the passage? Is the asker wanting to know who gets in and who is kept out (exclusionary)? Or is the asker wanting to know if they can even make it?

    ‌Our reading of the question helps us define the answer, thus understanding how we see the question is important. Is it a question of rule or a question of ?‌

    Another possible view is the goal of the asker. Is this about seeking the best way, the sure way (what can I get away with), or a different way?‌

    What if Jesus’ long answer was less about rules and such, but instead about focus? Are you focusing on Jesus (God) and God’s ways, or are you focusing on the behaviors of ?

    ‌What if the narrow way is more like a horse wearing blinders? A horse that wears blinders is doing so because their rider or driver is seeking to keep them from being distracted from everything around them, and wanting the horse to focus on what’s ahead, and on the rider (driver).

    ‌‌🤔 Reflection

    ‌When you first read the passage, what was your focus on? Has your focus changed at all? Do you ever find yourself watching others more than you are watching and seeking God?

    ‌‌⏏️ Act

    ‌Find one small and simple thing can you remove from your to narrow your focus on God.

    ‌🙏 Prayer

    Help us to look ahead to you, Lord God, and not look side to side at others. Amen.

  • Walking With Saints

    Walking With Saints

    Read: Psalm 34:1–10, 22; 1 John 3:1-3; Revelation 7:9-17; Matthew 5:1-12

    ‌🔎 Focus

    ‌After this I looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every , from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, robed in white, with palm branches in their hands.

    Revelation 7:9 (NRSVue)

    ‌Saints are often viewed as legendary characters, with lives almost impossible to duplicate. Many of those same Saints looked at themselves and saw nothing but their own flaws. They pursued purity (or ) to the degree we often pursue wealth, accolades, status, and self-esteem. As Western Christianity wonders what its place is in the current context, perhaps the Saints can advise us.

    ‌‌✟Devotion

    ‌Western Christianity is in turmoil. The so-called Progressive wing seems to find new things to toss out, while the so-called Conservative (or Reactionary) wing finds new restrictions to add. So many things have been tied to what it means to be a so-called real that everyday Christians can find it hard to find stability in the one place that had been stable for generations.

    ‌While certain traditions regularly hold certain Saints highly, many regular church members don’t know them, or their traditions, denomination, or local church just ignore the Saints. This, sadly, even includes many of the churches that have been named after Saints.

    ‌This is not about the veneration of Saints (which most Western Protestants struggle with), but looking to the examples of the people whose lives were recognized by (rather than self-promotion) as reflecting aspects of Christ.

    ‌Even Protestants have Saints, though they’d probably never them such. My tradition, the Church of the Nazarene, had strong ties with Methodism, which was founded by John and Charles Wesley. The Wesleys are often spoken of in the same ways as other traditions speak of the Saints. The Church of the Nazarene has long held Phineas Bresee up, too, in almost the same ways as the Saints. Yet, neither the Wesleys nor Bresee were flawless. For the broader US church, Hudson Taylor is read and spoken of in similar ways.

    ‌As we look back on Bresee, the Wesleys, or Taylor we often focus on their flaws, especially in regard to where their cultural sensitivities do not match ours. Yet, these men do indeed provide valuable insight into living lives as followers of Jesus.

    ‌One of the advantages of the Saints is that while we are usually provided glimpses into their lives through overly optimistic lenses, their stories are still ones of encouragement. Many of them became Saints, not through some huge single event, but walking step-by-step to become more like Jesus. This is especially true when the saints our outside our personal tradition; this might be the most important thing.

    ‌You’ll note that I mentioned 4 men. Inside Protestant tradition, there is an extreme emphasis on men. Many of the Saints were women. In the Church of the Nazarene, we have Mildred Wynkoop (a huge in holiness theology), who we should have feelings for as the Wesleys, and perhaps more so than Bresee. I’m not calling her, the Wesleys, Bresee, or Taylor, Saints, and, yet, they are towering presences of Christian history which sort of makes them Saints.

    ‌While certain traditions have miracles assigned to Saints, that hasn’t always been the case. In fact, many of the Saints were so-called Doctors of the Church, meaning that their writings profoundly shaped theology and/or Christian living. Some were bishops. Some were abbots/abbesses. Some were monks/nuns. Some were teachers. There were even a couple of lawyers in there.

    ‌What makes a ? THAT is a very good question. Some traditions use miracles as the divider for canonized saints, at least in more recent era. Yet, there have been many Saints, and many have no attributed miracles. Perhaps we can only figure out who the Saints are after they have died.

    ‌Perhaps the test is, does this person’s life (and words) draw me more deeply into following Jesus?

    ‌🤔 Reflection

    ‌Who are people, living or dead, that have drawn you to follow Jesus better? Why do you think draw (or drawn) is used rather than pull or push? Do you think that this is a good or bad way to identify Saints? Why?

    ‌‌⏏️ Act

    ‌If you know of someone living who is a Saint (to you), let them know that they have drawn you closer to Jesus. This, of course, assumes you agree with drawn. If you have another or additional factors to determine a Saint, follow that, but still let them know.

    ‌🙏⁜ Prayer ⁜

    ‌Lord Jesus, thank you for all the Saints that have come before us and have provided influence, known or unknown, in regard to a walk with you. Help me, Lord, to walk closer to you, not to become a Saint, but to live out my love for you. Amen.

  • Happiness and Joy…or Not

    Happiness and Joy…or Not

    Psalm 44; Isaiah 22:8b–14; James 4:4–10

    ‌‌🔎 Focus

    ‌Do you not know that with the world is enmity with God?

    James 4:4 NRSVue

    ‌…you did not look at the One who did it, nor did you see the One who planned it…

    Isaiah 22:11 NRSVue

    We don’t like pain or suffering. We often do anything to avoid it. We can also do anything in an attempt to make it feel better, when we’re suffering from it.

    ‌It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, for this is the of everyone, and the living will lay it to .

    Ecclesiastes 7:2 NRSVue

    Often sitting in our mourning and pain is more honest and healing than living and striving for revelry and happiness. When we do not confront and deal well with our pain, our wrongs, our being wronged, we react in ways that can be unhealthy for us and for .

    ‌‌✟ Devotion

    ‌The full passage in Isaiah talks about how Jerusalem’s vulnerabilities were uncovered (or unhidden) by God. Why? Because of iniquity. What does iniquity have to do with pain and suffering? Well, by this point, the people of Jerusalem (and by extension Judah), had ignored the testing of prophets by the words, and of God by many means.

    ‌Instead, they chose to tear down homes (and likely the homes of the poor and powerless) to fill the holes in their walls. Were they literal holes in the walls, or is this a more figurative imagery indicating that there was a wrong focus? Probably both.

    ‌It would be completely within expectations for Isaiah (as inspired by God) to use a practical and example to examine the spiritual of the People of God. Instead of doing the hard (and sometimes painful) work of self-reflection, they chose to do the easier, more worldly thing, find something to dull the pain.

    ‌They forgot the One.

    ‌This is James’ starting point with his tirade against Christians who have forgotten whose they are and have reverted to the ways of the world. Instead of putting cooperative and mutually humble care for one another—the called for characteristics of Christians—first, they chose to be no different than behavior in the world. Instead of being God’s light and reflecting God’s , they were reflecting the world’s darkness.

    ‌What ought to catch our attention is that James equates worldly behavior among Christians to adultery. The ultimate of marital union is equated to worldly behavior.

    ‌We, as Christians, aren’t paragons of what we are supposed to be. Per James, we are adulterers. Perhaps not individually (but how do we contribute), but collectively we are. This is something we need to do the hard work on and not skip it. This covers politics, church theology, even pastors and leaders.

    ‌We forget the One.

    ‌‌🤔 Reflection

    ‌What do you think of non-Christian behavior as adultery? Does it your view of non-Christian behavior? How do you work through disagreements on things, even what defines non-Christian behavior, with other Christians?

    ‌‌⏏️ Act

    ‌Choose a light topic that you know a fellow Christian disagrees with you on. Discuss it with respect and love. The goal is not to change minds, but to understand the other.

    ‌🙏 Prayer

    ‌Gracious God, while we might know intellectually that you are gracious, help us to believe it to the depths of our souls, so that we are gracious to one another. Help us to see our faults, failures, even our love affair with the ways of the world, in light of your gracious love. Guide us to see where we have placed the world and its ways ahead of you and your ways. Amen.

  • Successfully Unsuccessful

    Successfully Unsuccessful

    Psalm 144; Song of Solomon 8:5–14; John 11:45–57 ISV

    ‌⁜Focus⁜

    A great deal of water cannot extinguish love,
    rivers cannot put it out.
    If a man were to give all the wealth of his house for love,
    he would surely be viewed with contempt.

    Song of Solomon 8:7 ISV

    “…You don’t realize that it is better for you to have one man die for the people than to have the whole nation destroyed.” Now he did not say this on his own initiative. As high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, and not only for the nation, but that he would also gather into one the children of God who were scattered abroad.

    John 11:50–52 ISV

    When we look at people’s lives and the result of their lives, we ought to be looking from God’s rather than the world’s (or the earthly) perspective.

    ‌⁜Devotion⁜

    ‌The comparison trap is real. Are my kids as successful as yours? Are your kids as well-adjusted as mine? Is your career doing better (financial, influence) than mine?‌

    It is an easy mental and emotional trap to fall into because others are the only way we believe we can measure our lives. There is, of course, a problem with that. Who decides what makes for ?‌

    The world looks at tangible (money and stuff) and intangible (influence and power). God looks beyond even the intangible.‌

    In many respects, God’s baseline measurement is based on nothing we’ve done, nor anything we can do. God’s measurements begin with Jesus.

    ‌The High Priest, Caiaphas, had prophesied the of Jesus. Not a good marker of success for Jesus, or anyone. Death is rarely a measure of success, but of failure.

    In the Song of Solomon, the bride says, “If a man were to give all the wealth of his house for love, he would surely be viewed with contempt.” Jesus gave up the wealth of his house for love…his love for us.

    The bride of Christ has long been a term used to describe the Church (as a whole). It is somewhat ironic, then, that the bride is saying such words, for Jesus is the . According to the bride’s words, then, Jesus is understandably viewed with contempt.

    No one reading this, I , views Jesus with contempt, yet it seems that many Christians evaluate success in the lives of others, and in their own lives, based upon what the world views as success.

    We will often that history is written by the victors, except that isn’t entirely true, for Jesus and those who followed him were the losers. Yes, Christianity did eventually win in the Western World. We can see how the church is growing outside of the Western world, where becoming a Christian is a losing proposition, and should question the definitions of success we’re using.

    ‌⁜Reflection⁜

    ‌What do you think of as success? Do you ever wonder if you are successful? Who/what are you allowing to define success for you?

    ‌‌⁜Act⁜

    ‌Talk to a believing peer and discover how they define success. Talk to a non-believer and discover how they define success.

    ‌⁜Prayer⁜

    Lord Jesus, your birth, life, death, and resurrection break every model of success. Holy guide our thoughts to success as you would have us define under the authority and of God, the . Amen.

  • Reconciling Fruit

    Reconciling Fruit

    Psalm 144; Isaiah 27:1–6; 2 Corinthians 5:17–21 (ISV)

    In times to come, Jacob will take root,
       and Israel will blossom, sprout shoots,
       and fill the whole world with fruit.

    Isaiah 27:6 ISV

    All of this comes from God, who has reconciled us to himself through the Messiah and has given us the ministry of ,

    2 Corinthians 5:18 ISV

    Reconciliation: the action of reconciling and/or the state of being reconciled.

    ‌Reconcile/reconciled/reconciling
    ‌1a) to restore to or harmony
    ‌1b) settle or resolve (differences)
    ‌2) to make consistent or congruous
    ‌3) to cause to submit to or accept something unpleasant.
    ‌4a) to check (a financial record) against another for accuracy
    ‌4b) to account for

    Merriam-Webster.com

    ⁜Focus⁜

    ‌The (or God’s) fruit of reconciliation should fill the whole world, and we are to be the fruit.

    ⁜Devotion⁜

    ‌Depending how many sermons you’ve listened to, it is likely that you have heard at least one sermon about the Fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, , patience, , goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. This list comes from ‘s letter to the Galatians (Galatians 5:22-23). Depending on the preacher or author, it could be an unordered list, or an ordered list. These fruit, though, are supposed to be increasing in each Christian day-by-day.

    ‌Isaiah’s words are, in particular, about the people of Israel (God’s first chosen people). The concept was that despite their trials, exiles, and spiritual (and physical) wandering, that God would cause them to be plentiful and to fill the earth. Over the years, many Christians have believed (and even preached) that Christians completely replaced the descendants of Israel as the new chosen. Today, most Christians don’t believe that. On the other hand, Christians are spiritual descendants of Israel (through Jesus), so should be accounted for as fruit of the promise in Isaiah.

    ‌Yet, if we look around, we can see that Christians are as likely to be reconciling as anyone else. In other words, we Christians appear to be just as unloving and unreconciling as those who do not believe in Jesus. Paul notes that Christians are particularly called to the ministry of reconciliation. While, yes, much of that does have to do with being in a reconciled (or “right”) relationship with God, this does not exclude or diminish the call on the Christian to be a reconciling force in their , community, and the world.

    ‌Re-examine the definitions of reconciling. Except for definition 4a, one could actually apply each definition to the life a Christian is to exemplify. 4a would occupy a special place that is that of the price of paid, and thus has a place in (or origin for) the conversation of reconciling.

    ‌In the Greek language, there is an imperfect tense, which doesn’t (sadly) exist in English, though reconciling comes close per the Merriam-Webster definition, especially when we say reconciliation is the action of reconciling (the mission or ministry) and being reconciled, which was done through Jesus Christ’s birth, life, death on the cross, and resurrection. It is done, and yet there is more work to be done.

    ⁜Reflection⁜

    ‌Of the five (1a, 1b, 2, 3, 4b) definitions, which do you see as the strongest in your life? How do you see each of these working through your life?

    ⁜Act⁜‌

    What is an act (or series of acts) of reconciliation that you can do in your family and community?

    ⁜Prayer⁜

    ‌ God, you have given us the ministry of reconciliation. Help us not to forget that by giving it to us, you have given us responsibility. Help us to that through this responsibility you have given us the honor of working alongside you, the Creator, in the world. Jesus, help us to continually examine your life as conveyed in the Scriptures to understand what it means to live a life of reconciliation. Holy Spirit, just as you provide each of us “fruit of the Spirit”, so, too, do you provide the ability to be aware of where the world needs reconciliation. Triune God (Father, , and Holy Spirit), guide us more deeply into your truth to be the light of reconciliation and the people of love to the world. Amen.