Devotion.al

Tag: loved

  • Restoration

    Restoration

    Psalm 95; Micah 7:8–20; Mark 14:26–31

    In this passage in Micah, Zion is the personification of Jerusalem and the Promised Land. Zion also takes on the aspect of the people themselves. What is interesting is that Zion proclaims guilt in regards to God, but the actual people weren’t open to that way of thinking.

    The recognition that the consequences of destruction are well-earned is also something many of the people would not understand. If we are honest with ourselves, none of us like the negative consequences of our actions. We only want the positive ones.

    The poetic hyperbole of the rebuilding of Zion is about the speed of versus the speed of falling into one’s own mire. God gave the descendents of Israel plenty of time to allow themselves to descend into the mess of their own making. God also gave them plenty of time to . They chose not to.

    God still them, though, just as God still loves us even when continue to do things that God does not want us to do. That is the beauty and the grace in the poetic rebuilding of Zion. In many respects, we can see a resemblance to what occurs when a person first truly gives their to Jesus Christ. Restoration! Restoration of our with God is always there waiting for our .

    When the disciples made such sure and quick promises to Jesus that they would never him, their words were honest to the best of their understanding. However, once the hard times came, they quickly ran away (granted, after today’s verses). They were truly overwhelmed by the (, religious, cultural, and political) that came to take Jesus.

    They made a rash proclamation and broke it quickly after. Jesus still came and restored the relationship. Restoration is always around the corner.

    ※Reflection※

    • How has God restored you? Can you recall how many times? What lessons were learned from them? What person or people were common in any of these experiences (whether individuals or roles)?
    • What does this tell you about God? What does it tell you about yourself?

    ※Prayer※

    Lord, under your grace and , we are always under construction. Thank you for working on us. Help us to surrender each wall, door, or room of our hearts that is not like you. Amen.

  • Poison Pills

    Poison Pills

    Psalm 70; Isaiah 50:4–9a; Hebrews 12:1–3; John 13:21–32

    Taking insults is hard. Taking insults in today’s culture is reality…especially on social media. It’s not just social media, though, not by far. It is pervasive.

    Isaiah faced plenty of insults. He was spat upon. People physically pulled the hair from his beard (Ouch!). He did not hide from them. Yes, we attribute these descriptions (rightly) to . They are also Isaiah. They aren’t descriptive of many Christians.

    Even among Christians, the willingness (sometimes, it seems, eagerness) to verbally rip another person into shreds is appalling. The willingness to question another’s -based upon what you think the other person believes all too often means that a has put themself in the place of God. Even Jesus avoided that while on earth. If we’re Christ-followers, we should probably do the same.

    The writer of Hebrews talks about the that trips us up. Truthfully, much of the slander, belittling, and (well) judging falls under the simplified “don’t gossip” in regards to the Ten Commandments. It’s sinful. Before you state something about another, perhaps there out to be a litmus test that you put before God.

    I’ve been party/ to far too many statements from fellow Christians that really don’t pass my litmus test of Godly truth (and I hold my litmus test lightly). I wish taking the red or blue pill would fix the problem (an allusion to both the movie the Matrix, and the Democrat/Republican color-coding). Maybe a purple pill will fix it (purple alluding to Christ’s royalty as king).

    There is no quick pill. It’s a long walk together toward the holiness and purity that is in Christ Jesus. That’s the endurance part of the run.

    We will have to endure the shame for not choosing a political party first, and instead choosing Christ. Most Christians when given the choice between their political ideology and Christ will say, “Christ”, but live differently. Instead of living for Christ and eschewing politics, we choose our politics and try to shove God in the ballot .

    We condemn Judas Iscariot for selling Jesus out for 30 pieces of silver. We’ve probably sold Jesus out for a seat at the political table. Insults? You’re not a Christian if you voted for or supported __________! That’s not just judging, that is betraying Jesus.

    Judas Iscariot, despite all his faults and betrayal, seems to have been a friend of Jesus. I have a hard time understanding that, too. He wasn’t one of the close ones, but that he remained for 3 years? We condemn Judas (understandably), but Jesus loved him. For that, we should be grateful.

    If Jesus could love someone who betrayed him, that means he loves us, too. Jesus loves us despite our dabbling with worldly powers. Jesus loves us when we hurt fellow Christians. Jesus loves us when we drive others from his presence. Jesus loves us every time we betray him.

    ※Reflection※

    • Why is demeaning or belittling of other Christians bordering on a betrayal of Jesus?
    • Why do we allow our politics to come between us and Jesus, and between us and other Christians?
    • How can we be mutual witnesses to Jesus when our politics and even worldviews are different?

    ※Prayer※

    Assist us mercifully with your grace, Lord God of our salvation, that we may enter with joy upon the meditation of those mighty acts by which you have promised us and immortality; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. [ Collect, Book of Common 2019]

  • Becoming Light

    Becoming Light

    Jeremiah 30:12–22; John 12:36–43

    Perhaps this has been said before, but an important lesson learned through Celebrate Recovery was, “hurt people hurt people.” When people are hurting, they lash out. Sometimes the is stress. Often it is thousands of little things (and sometimes only a few) that pile up all at once. Our emotional and spiritual history is full of small wounds. Most of the time, we function well despite them. Other times, we fall completely apart.

    God relays back to the Israelites all their woe and anguish. God explains how much of, really, is the accumulation of delayed consequences over the years. It is not that God is uncompassionate. It is that God is trying to retrain them to pursue God and not the world.

    We can safely assume that many Israelites said with their hearts and/or their mouths, “God, if you really us…” They judged God by the consequences of their actions. We are often no different, whether we blame God or .

    God acknowledges and identifies their pain. Many are lashing out at God because of their pain. Many, just like today, lash out at God for they cannot see clearly through their pain. God doesn’t leave it at that. God promises restoration.

    What should catch our attention in the promises is, “You will be my people…” The Israelites were declared God’s people in Exodus, yet here is a future tense. The Israelites were no longer God’s people. It seems obvious, but for the Israelites, it wasn’t obvious that they were no longer God’s people.

    The other implication here is that the can be lost. For those of us in the Wesleyan-Arminian , this isn’t a shock, but we often choose to forget it. The Israelites had lost it. This should not be taken to an antisemitic extreme (“Christians” have done too much of that). It should be viewed as a warning.

    It is not that they didn’t regain the blessing, but one can look at the history that followed, and see that the blessing never returned to the way it had been. The rise and fall of Israel is a lesson for every believer.

    ‘ words are the guidelines to follow. If you have the light (Jesus), believe in the light. This is the full-hearted belief and trust in God. This is not a “statement of belief.” It is a of belief.

    The CEB concludes with “that you might become people whose lives are determined by the light.” Other translations say something more familiar, “that you may become children of light.” Might is not coincidental. Might indicates that…you can lose it, or that you can walk away from it.

    Your trust and with God may be such that you are not able to understand why anyone would “lose” or “walk away” from Jesus. The Israelites wandered away from God. Judas Iscariot (who was with him for nearly 3 years) betrayed Jesus. It can happen.

    ※Reflection※

    • Do you know anyone who “walked in the light” and then stopped? Do you know the pain of their story and/or why?
    • How do you deal with the pain of people who know Jesus? How do you deal with the pain of people who don’t know Jesus?

    ※Prayer※

    Jesus, help us to walk in the light and to others to your light, too. Amen.

  • To Live As Sacrifice

    To Live As Sacrifice

    Psalm 105:1–11, 37–45 Genesis 22:1–19; Hebrews 11:1–3, 13–19

    Post-traumatic stress is a real thing. There are many sources of trauma. We generally think of violence as the only source of trauma, but damaged relationships are equally the source of trauma for many individuals. Just like other forms of emotional scars, trauma may take years to heal if it ever does.

    Some people have been miraculously cured of the various issues of trauma. They are not the norm. Many of those that still suffer from PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) don’t even recognize that they have it as they have not been taught how to perceive it.

    Often, we don’t recognize potential PTSD in the scriptures. We often put it aside or dismiss any possibilities because “they were real ‘men’” then. Reminds me of the stories of the ’50s, and how great everything was with families and gatherings. The dark side of that being the mass amount of alcohol that was consumed not so obviously. One could easily conclude that the mass consumption of alcohol was a “tool” to numb the pain of World War II’s PTSD.

    Imagine Isaac—the recipient of Abraham’s and expectation —when his father ties him up and puts him on the woodpile intended for the sacrifice. The sole inheritor of Abraham and Sarah must have been shocked. He must have also felt betrayed. We can only imagine the effects that had on Isaac’s and Abraham’s .

    There may well have also been an impact on Isaac’s relationship with God. Many people feel betrayed by God because a one died, or because their isn’t what they want or imagined. Being a literal sacrifice to God didn’t seem to affect Isaac’s faith in God overall, but it’s hard to see how that didn’t color Isaac’s view of God either.

    Walking through life as “the almost sacrifice”. What a strange feeling, even at the end, that must have been.

    As Christians, we continually observe the sacrifice that Jesus Christ was for us and for all of humanity (and ). If Jesus Christ sacrificed his life for us, we too are almost a sacrifice.

    The Nation of Almost Sacrifices. What a fabulous ring it has to it! How could anyone not want to be part of that? Right? You just can’t to go there!

    Except the author of Hebrews notes that plenty of people died before the fulfillment of the Messiah. Many of them waited for the Messiah. Many of them were waiting for the first Nation of Israel. Others were waiting for the next Holy Nation of Israel. Some even today wait for the next Holy Nation of Israel.

    Waiting for God’s timing is indeed often a sacrifice. Sometimes it can be our pride (of nation, gender, profession, , wealth) that needs to be sacrificed. Other times it is our assumptions that need to be sacrificed.

    The Walk often seems to be one of constant almost sacrifice. However, the almost isn’t one of, “I almost did it.” It is one of, “I surrendered it, and God gave it back.” So, no, we are not to be a nation of almost sacrifices. We are to be a nation that has sacrificed and sacrifices continually. This not a sacrifice of misery, but a sacrifice of response to the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords who sacrificed for us.

    ※Reflection※

    • What does sacrifice mean to you?
    • What does it mean to live as an almost sacrifice? What about an actual sacrifice? What about a life of sacrifice?

    ※Prayer※

    Lord, we often don’t know what it means to live sacrificially or to live a life of sacrifice. Help us to know the cross that is ours to pick up. Amen.

  • Passing It Off

    Genesis 17:1–7, 15–16; Romans 4:13–25; Mark 8:31–38

    I grew up with Richard Scarry books. One of my favorite stories was about the Bunny Family going to bed. As Daddy Bunny put each child to bed, each child shared their “” dream job. The last child said, “I’ll be what I’ll be,” and he dreamed to be a Daddy Bunny. Of course, my dad that I identified with that last child. One of my greatest honors is the fact that I am a dad.

    My wasn’t that my kids would be my legacy (not the thought pattern of a child), but Abraham’s was. Culturally, a person without a legacy (and the legacy being children than other things) was close to worthless. Ishmael ( with a ) and Isaac (son with the wife) were it (at this point).  Not much of a legacy for the era.

    Yet, Abraham’s imputed was because he believed (trusted) God when God said that Abraham would be the of nations. This is why centers on our inheritance through .

    Paul notes that we are Abraham’s legacy. We are Abraham’s children through faith, not (necessarily) by blood. While Paul is here dealing with the “inheritance” aspect of Jew versus Gentile, there are other aspects that we can examine.

    An inheritance is not “earned”. An inheritance is given. It is given by the person whose it is to the person (or people) whose it isn’t. Even when dealing with the how (blood or faith) of the inheritance, Paul overrides it all with the of the inheritance.

    ※Reflection※

    • Have you ever had an inheritance? Were you surprised by it?
    • What does having an inheritance from God mean to you? How is an inheritance from God different from an inheritance from a family member or someone else?

    ※Prayer※

    Gracious God, may we never view the inheritance we’ve been given as something we’ve earned or deserve. Amen.

  • All Are Called

    All Are Called

    Psalm 22:23–31; Genesis 15:1–6, 12–18; Romans 3:21–31

    You are by God. Yes, you. If you are reading this, and are not a believer in Christ, you are loved by God. If you are Jewish, and not a believer in Jesus Christ, you are part of God’s Chosen People. If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, you are a child of God.

    Whether non-Christian Jew, Messianic Jew, or Christian, we are called to , honor, and stand in awe of God. Actually, we are all (believer or not) called to praise, honor, and stand in awe of God.

    All too often, though, modern people make judgments about God when they do not understand the significance of the stories. The story of Abraham and the smoking pot is a story of vast significance, especially when we talk about this passage in Romans.

    The symbolism of everything surrounding the smoking pot can be summarized. God made a with Abraham. Abraham made a covenant with God. The penalty for breaking the covenant: . God took the place of Abraham and God as the covenanter who would pay the price upon violation of the covenant.

    “…God displayed Jesus as the place of …”—Romans 3:25

    Sometimes writing too much takes away from the . This is one of those times. Read again the passage from Romans with the knowledge or reminder that God had promised to die long before Israel (Jacob) was even born.

    ※Reflection※

    • What does this tell you about God?
    • What does this tell you about us?
    • What are you going to do with this?

    ※Prayer※

    Lord, let us not forget that you knew the price of loving us while maintaining your . Thank you for your unending , mercy, and . Amen.

  • Promises of Grace

    Psalm 111; Romans 9:6–18

    Promises hold a significant place within the stories in the Scriptures. Much of this has to do with having to the fulfillment of a promise that people would not see.

    Abraham is one such example. He was given a short (one year) promise as a “down payment” for the long term one. God had made large promises, and had definitely taken care of him, but the promise of not “just” a son of the woman he , but also countless descendents.

    While Paul, understandably, focuses on Isaac, Ishmael is a different kind of promise. While Isaac is the promised line of , God still promises Abraham that Ishmael will live and have descendents, too.

    God didn’t have to make this commitment to Abraham, yet chose to. This speaks to God’s . God understood that while Isaac was the “child of the promise”, Abraham still loved Ishmael and wanted him to do well and be well. Abraham, just as Paul, would not have questioned the of God’s will, neither would have Abraham.

    Unquestionably, God’s commitment towards Ishmael reassured Abraham that he (Abraham) had made the right decision. Decisions are part of the struggle that the has a problem with this passage. As has been preached on (at Generations) and addressed here in the devotionals, is that the ancient world understood God differently than we do.

    Paul’s words prompt many to reflect upon God’s mightiness and . In the face of such, how could any person not believe, follow, and trust God? That’s Paul’s . How could anyone not believe in God and God’s promises?

    That same logic is carried forth to today within certain strains of Christianity. Those strains of Christianity, understandably, are of the same mindset as Paul. It’s not that they are wrong, per se, but as theology as aged and matured, the understanding of God’s has transformed thinking from the “chess player” God who chooses certain pieces to die or live to the guiding hand of God, which still allows humanity the ability to choose their path.

    promised to be with disciples and us by extension. If God is as capricious as many modern theologians presume, then a promise from God is cold comfort. On the other hand, if God makes promises through guidance and love, then the comfort of a promise warms the soul.

  • Trail Blaze

    Trail Blaze

    Psalm 46, Genesis 45:25–46:7

    The King James Bible is arguably the single most significant book of the English language. Because of its centrality to the British Empire and the Church of England, the King James Bible had the unique placement to be the primary English language teaching and book for centuries, including all the colonies that the British Empire launched.

    What people may not realize is that the King James Bible was the fourth English translation of the Bible. In fact, some of its language and interpretation is owed to the previous translations that were banned for a time. You might recognize the of the predecessor translations: Tyndale, Wycliffe, Cloverdale.

    It is those 3 English translations that are the real launching point for our visit with the Scriptures.

    When we read this passage from Genesis, we are missing a few important pieces. First, the Hebrews had a long history with Egypt. Abraham and Isaac sojourned there for a time (also during famines). The one time Jacob was about to enter Egypt, God stopped him.

    In a very unorthodox way, Joseph was sent before his . Joseph’s faithfulness, , and managerial skills allowed Joseph to be second only to Pharaoh. And, really, if you read that part of the story, it seems that even Pharaoh only kept a little for appearances sake.

    Now, however, Jacob was to go! God promised him as the God of his (Jacob’s) predecessors. This is God’s testimony to Jacob that God continues to be to the first , and that this is part of the fulfilling of the promise. What is striking is that God uses the promise of many promises to echo the previous ones, making it all but assured. It only required that Jacob go.

    Tyndale, Wycliffe, and Cloverdale were not universally for their translations. Part of the King James’ directive for the “Authorized” version was translating the scriptures so as to justify the Episcopate (Archbishops and bishop hierarchy of the Church of England) and the “Divine right” of kings. That’s pretty self-serving for the translation of Scriptures. This would override some of what Tyndale, Wycliffe, and Cloverdale had done.

    Tyndale, Wycliffe, and Cloverdale would have likely (mostly) supported the KJV because it did what they had wanted. It brought the Scriptures into the language that the people actually used. Despite the less than happy ending of their translations, it seems likely that without them going before, the importance of an English Bible would not have been seen or understood until much later.

    Who went before us we may never know. We may never know who we went before.

    It not for us to know. It is for us to .

    ※Reflection※

    ※Prayer※

    • Who went before you?
    • Who follows behind you?