Devotion.al

Tag: overcome

  • Divided Beauty Multiplied

    Divided Beauty Multiplied

    Psalm 104:24–34; Genesis 11:1–9; 1 Corinthians 12:12–27

    The US is not the biggest country in the world, not by landmass, not by population. Just like other countries our size and bigger, there are some weird things that happen as you states, regions, and sometimes even counties. There is a certain section of Washington that adds an “r” so that Washington becomes Warshington or washing becomes warshing. It’s an oddity that has even others of those born and raised in Washington confused.

    There are certain things one can say in the Western states that one avoids saying in the Eastern states. There is definitely a divide between the Northern states and the Southern states in regards to language. Sometimes the differences are functional, sometimes they are just some differences that bubbled up as languages and peoples came or divided.

    Sometimes, even more strangely, is that when a number of people come together and form a new language, that becomes even more confused and nuanced. The , and all things connected through it, is like that now. New ways of communicating (emojis and abbreviations) are being used and often very misunderstood. There are even manufactured languages (Esperanto, Klingon, for example). We are constantly looking for new ways to communicate.

    The fall of the Tower of Babel echoes this need but in reverse. Humanity had this universal language. Humanity could communicate apparently quite well. Humanity, however, had lost its praising of God and now wanted to become God. Perhaps, even more than the story of the Fall in the Garden of Eden, this short story of the Tower of Babel illuminates the fallen heart.

    As with many things in the , though, redemption still breaks through. Paul comments that the church (the Body and Bride of Christ) is made of many parts. Humanity is made of many parts and many languages. God is not limited by “the many”.

    Arguably, God is actually more glorified by the many differences that make up humanity and its languages. There are a few (sadly, too few) songs that can cross language barriers, where one can translate the original language into a different one, and still keep the meter and rhythm. Hearing a song you know sung in a different language and still being able to sing along is a beautiful sign of what God can do.

    It is humanity that is divided by language, people, skin color, nation, or ideology. The Holy Spirit speaks through all of God’s people that they can sing praises to God from the depths of their hearts the best way they know how.

    ※Reflection※

    • Where are places you have seen the of humanity bring glory to God?
    • How do you see divided humanity overcome its divisions?
    • Do you think artistic activities are better able to overcome the differences than non-artistic? Why are why not?

    ※※

    Lord, we recognize that we are divided. Through the Holy Spirit we are not called to be , we are united through. Transform our lives so that they match what the Spirit has done. Amen.

  • Moved To Change It Up

    Moved To Change It Up

    Psalm 104:24–34; Ezekiel 37:1–14; John 15:26–27; John 16:4b–15; Acts 2:1–21

    The Christian music artist Mandisa has a song, “”. It’s a pretty simple song (and catchy, of course). It talks about “you” (the listener) being an overcomer by the and power of God. It’s a cross-genre song (crossing into the pop-commercial genre) where people who are not believers the message, but probably don’t get it.

    The way Mandisa uses overcomer is slightly different than Ezekiel’s overcome by the , but there is a commonality…God. Mandisa’s overcomer is how a Christian has the ability to overcome the emotional and spiritual battles of through the power of God and the Spirit. Ezekiel is overcome (perhaps, taken over) by the Spirit and through this brings life (in vision) to bones that are dead, dry, and useless.

    (the coming of the onto the disciples) is that same sort of thing. The dry spiritual bones of the People of God imbued by the Holy Spirit revitalizes, changes, and reconciles the People of God to God. Just like in the Old Testament, however, not all the dry bones want to be alive again. Yet, here the disciples (as promised by Jesus) stand publically (in contrast to hiding away as they had been) declaring the glory of God.

    We do have to understand that it is Peter that is the frontman. While the others were with him (or he with them), they were not the focus. Does that mean they had no place? Of course not, for the Holy Spirit “fell” upon them, too! Did they have some sort of impassioned impressive speech? The Scriptures don’t say they do, except that they were saying something, for they were recognized by others.

    You are probably not, in this context, Peter. Most of us aren’t. However, you are like one of the other disciples. As a believer in Jesus Christ, you have the Holy Spirit. You have the right, ability, and responsibility to speak to others about the redemptive work of God. You have been gifted to speak to at least one person in a “tongue” they understand, what it means to follow Jesus.

    ※Reflection※

    • Who is your “one” that your hearts burns for, whom you are stirred to talk about Jesus with? How are you specially prepared or placed to speak to that person that others aren’t?
    • How will you commit yourself to God’s mission and your commission to tell a person, people, or even the world about Jesus in a way they will understand?

    ※Prayer※

    Jesus, thank you for sending us the Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit, the Son told us that we would be empowered by you to do more amazing things than He had done. While we cannot understand how that can be, we know that the , Son, and Holy Spirit do not let the fail. Amen.

  • Nasty Water

    Nasty Water

    One of the current struggles in the of Israel (the modern one) is water. Like every nation, they need water to drink, bathe, irrigate, and even manufacture. As of now, the land is (by and large) dry. Water is not yet a war issue, but may be.

    Due to its “Law of ” (those who are of Jewish descent can immigrate and citzenship), Israel has seen a constant influx of people, especially from nations that are more anti-Jewish. In addition, Israel has been fairly successful technology-wise, and immigrate for opportunity. Regardless, the more people that come, the more water is required.
    As of 2015, more than half of Israel’s water is provided via desaliniztion. This technology takes undrinkable (almost poisionous) sea (salt) water, and turns it into drinkable water. Due to its high proportion of sun, there is a drive to turn this into a self-powering process, meaning almost unlimited “clean” water at a very minimal cost.
    Sometimes “known” bad water, such as the case with sea water or the water at Marah, isn’t the bad, limiting, or stopping thing that we think it is. When confronting our “bad water” it requires new thinking or, when God’s involved, a miracle.
    When confronting our bad water, do we it over to God, to pursue to , or do we give up?
  • Now’s The Time

    Now’s The Time

    Matthew 16:1–4; Matthew 13:1–9; Matthew 13:18–23; Titus 2:11–14

    Humanity has smashed the atom. Humanity has gone to the moon. Humanity can splice the fabric of life (DNA). Humanity sill hates. Humanity still wars. Humanity still fears.

    A generation goes and a generation comes,
    but the earth remains forever.

    What has been is what will be,
    and what has been done is what will be done;
    there is nothing new under the sun

    Ecclesiastes 1:4,9 (CSB)

    When Jesus talks about the sower, we can look around us and see plenty of people who are in rocky ground and amongst thorns. The reality is that it may be that far too many so-called Christians are exactly those. In seemingly crazy and desperate times such as this, it is very easy to be .

    Whether it is political , racial tensions, economic chaos, world tension, changes in how the body of Christ (the ) gathers, there are so many things that cause people to uproot their own faith. They also become easy victims to those who oppose the faith.

    The writer of Ecclesiastes didn’t see the internet coming. Really, though, the internet is just a faster form of communication. In other words, the mode changed, but that’s it. Ultimately, from the view of Ecclesiastes, the condition doesn’t change.

    Our fellow Christians, maybe even you, are struggling right now. The church is as divided as the US. The church, sadly, reflects the world. The (left, right, and everything from the middle to the extremes) of the world are not the church and should have no place there.

    This is hard for most of us, currently. Some are feeling persecuted for their faith. Others are wagging their tongues and figures regardless of whether “their” “side” won or lost the recent election (or have been perceived to). It is nothing new under the sun.

    ‘s words to Titus provide some guidance. While the “present ” was Paul’s and Titus’ time, the Christians of the “present age” should be aggressively taking Paul’s words to .

    ※Questions※

    1) What do you think it means to “live in a sensible, , and Godly way”? (Titus 2:12)

    2) How have you been living like that in the current cultural/political environment?

    3) How were your answers more worldly than Godly?

    ※Prayer※

    Jesus, help us to walk in your footsteps. Amen.

  • Path Lighting

    Path Lighting

    Joshua 4:1–7; Joshua 8:30–35; Proverbs 27:17

    What do you ? What “traditions” or practices do you remember from your childhood? What did that teach you?

    Over the years, the universal developed many practices to teach the to its people. It often had a hard journey, as it had to teach people from varying walks of life to be one with each other. It often had to surmount the lack of general education for centuries.

    Many of these practices are no longer used. Many have lost the intent, and even the instruction that went with them. They became empty words. Valuable Truth was lost because people failed to teach well.

    As we each go to church, whether online or in person, or whether we only listen to sermons or we add life groups, we each have a responsibility to learn and to teach. Often, we look to experts to train us. However, the experts are, well, experts. Experts often get lost in their expertise and then they can no longer translate their expertise to the non-expert.

    In many respects, from a personal , that may be part of the current state of the church. Perhaps we have left too much to the experts and not sharpened ourselves.

    Of course, there is danger in such . There is a balance of some sort between expert and non. We may well be in a place and time where we need to discover what that balance is.

    The passages from Joshua are just 2 passages where something was done to teach. The first was the pile of stones from the middle of the Jordan river. Yes, 12 stones pulled from the bottom of spring flood raging river. This pile of stones became a physical place of teaching.

    “Look at that river! God made it so our ancestors could cross it on dry land.” Imagine a young child with the of the waters being told the story of the stones while seeing that river. That would certainly be formative. This is the kind of thing ideal in the informal settings of Life Groups.

    The second passage is Joshua repeating the Law that they had been given. It was a reminder of who they were. The Law wasn’t just rules and regulations, it was their . In many respects, this is the more formal aspect of preaching and Sunday School.

    The question that we each need to ourselves: is our faith important enough to us to learn?

  • Summary Path

    Summary Path

    Malachi 4:5–6; Matthew 17:10–13; John 1:19–28

    Jesus said that John was Elijah. John said he wasn’t Elijah. Who was right?

    The question is, who is Elijah? The other question is, who’s asking?

    First of all, let’s talk about Malachi’s words. Malachi prophesied that Elijah would come back to Judah heralding a massive . Malachi spoke to the Jews post-exile.

    Despite the restoration of the temple, the people were overcome with despair and ennui. God didn’t their of restoring everything to the way they perceived it having been before (even if its perfection was figurative). They were walking on the downward slope away from God, again.

    Malachi didn’t let them off the hook. God was coming, in God’s timing. People would come to God, or they wouldn’t, but something momentous would happen. The Day of the Lord was often synonymous with the end of the world. It was also used to indicate a God-driven cataclysmic change.

    Malachi’s words had transformed as the precursor to the Messiah. Elijah would come before the Messiah. This not a literal thing, as reincarnation was not part of Jewish thought. This “Elijah” would be “in the spirit of Elijah” meaning a prophet of God, but with a particular focus on restoring the between the people and God.

    So, why did John deny being Elijah? Probably because he didn’t see himself that way. The problem with being compared to a legendary figure is that you know you’re not the legendary figure. There was a lot of weight and expectation, and John probably didn’t want to bear that burden.

    Also, as there was so much build-up regarding the Messiah, there was likely just as much build-up around Elijah, and much of it was probably wrong. Why would John want to be a part of that?

    There is also the last part of it, which is who Elijah was really couldn’t be evaluated until the Messiah completed the return. John was dead before the fulfillment, and without himself seeing the fulfillment, he certainly would have questioned being “Elijah”.

    Jesus, on the other hand, knew what was coming, and knew what had gone before. He had the to be able to John “Elijah”. In the spirit of Elijah, the Messiah (Jesus) did indeed reset the Day of the Lord. It was only through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus that John could fully be called “Elijah.”

    Often, our own perspective of our lives is twisted and/or minimized, for we (like John) cannot really see what came before and what will come after. We do not know the hearts we’ve changed, the paths we’ve diverted. Only at the end will God let us see it all from an perspective.

    That we are to God. That we pursue God. That we follow God. That we try to help others follow God. This is what God will let us see at the end. For now, we can only put one step in front of the other.

    ※Prayer※

    Father God, help us to accept that we cannot see the eternal effect of our lives. Lord Jesus, help us to follow you that the eternal effect brings you . Holy Spirit, guard and strengthen our hearts for those times when we are discouraged because we don’t see that we’ve made a difference. Amen.

    ※Questions※

    1) There are 2 kinds of eulogies. One that is written by the deceased for reading at the funeral, and the ones that are written in the hearts of others. Which one matters most? In what ways does the eulogy matter for both?

    2) What concepts and feelings come to mind when you the phrase, “The Day of the Lord”? Why might that be?

  • Forward

    Forward

    Job 1:1–5; 2 Corinthians 1:8–14 (read online ⧉)

    The story of Job is a famous story. It seems to be a story of a man going through unjust trials and misery. Job is often used in times of trial as a sort of encouragement, as if to say, if it could happen to Job, it can happen to you.

    Job, depending on translation, was a person of complete integrity or blameless and upright. Either one is hard for us to measure up to. How many of us, truly, would think of ourselves as being of complete integrity?

    During an interview, the question was asked of the interviewee, “are you honest?” The interviewee said, “yes.” The interviewer then asked, “have you ever lied or stolen?” The interviewee answered, “yes.” The interviewer then asked, “are you honest?” The interviewee again answered, “yes.”

    The test was not whether the person was honest, per se. Rather, it was if they had the integrity to answer the “ever lied or stolen” question with a “yes.” If they had answered, “no” to that question, the interview would have been over, for no one (other than Jesus, and perhaps Job) was that good of a person.

    When we read the story of Job, the story isn’t about Job’s “greatness” or “righteousness”. The story is about Job’s to God. Despite all his troubles, he never gave up on God, even when his wife told him to.

    While God is always faithful, we often are not. It is our faithfulness, though, that intimately affects our individual life. When and Timothy were going through a period of affliction, Paul noted that they received comfort from God. Note the language that Paul used; overwhelmed beyond their own . By whose strength, then, could they succeed? God’s, of course.

    Paul’s faithfulness to God was rewarded with the strength to carry on. Except, reward is not exactly correct. We all have this exact strength available to us, too. Through our trials and tribulations, through COVID-19 and riots, we have the strength to persevere.

    However, many Christians do not believe they have that power. That is the work of the adversary. The adversary isn’t necessarily the Devil either. The world, in this instance, can be the adversary, too. As the world (all of Creation) languishes in the results of broken (), it cannot understand how to overcome. It is lost in .

    Christians often succumb to that despair. Instead of faithfulness to God, they attribute to themselves (and often to God) the faithlessness of broken .

    ※※

    As a mother bird gathers her young in her wings, so you do for us, oh, God. May we the warmth and love of your wings, as they gather us together, and help us to trust that you are for us. Amen.

    ※Questions※

    1) What are symptoms of despair that you see in the world? How about yourself?

    2) What are ways that we can help strengthen their hearts against despair?

    3) How does despair affect things like hatred, discord, and the like?

  • Living Out Love

    Living Out Love

    1 Thessalonians 4:13–14; 1 Corinthians 13:4–13; James 1:22–25 (read online ⧉)

    The well-known atheist, Christopher Hitchens, had many debates (philosophical, scientific) with Christians. During at least one (and probably many) of the debates, he was asked what his was or what hope his view delivered, and he answered honestly…none.

    The world always needs hope. Sermons and devotionals are only to be the groundwork for Christians living out their hope. How one lives out hope is therefore very important. Hope is not just a state of mind or state of being. If we state we have hope and yet live as if we have none, then our hope is a lie and we are hypocrites.

    Paul states that love is the greatest of the great three: faith, hope, love. However, love cannot just be said; it must be done. James’ concern was that people said a lot of things, but did little in response. Today is not that different. Christians say love a lot.

    One could say, especially in this day and , that hope is love lived out. Without love, hope is blind optimism for the . In love, hope finds its ultimate fulfillment in knowing and trusting God.

    How this often will work out is helping another person not out of obligation or (especially of reciprocation), but out of hope that they will see Christ in and through you.

    This means that people who are different than us (especially in regards to motivations and situations) will still receive hope through the love we show them when we aid or even simply listen to their story.

    Through hope, honest and true hope in the Living God, we are able to be non-judgmental, not because we actually are, but because we trust in the loving and merciful judgment of God. This is also why phrases such as, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,” are often so dangerous, for people live out a hope-LESS response for they only know or hear of God’s anger, and never about the motivation of God’s anger…love.

    As we watch a slower than desired “return to normal”, and as friends, family, and some of us are experiencing financial struggles due to a weakening economy, being by , hopelessness, pessimism, and cynicism is easy. Being the hope-filled people that God has made us to be is counter-cultural. This is a good thing.

    ※※ A of Augustine ※※
    Now it is you alone that I love,
    you alone that I follow,
    you alone that I seek,
    you alone that I feel ready to serve,
    because you alone rule justly.
    It is to your authority alone that I want to submit.
    Command me, I pray, to do whatever you will,
    but heal and open my ears
    that I may hear your voice.
    Heal and open my eyes
    that I may see your will.
    Drive out from me
    all fickleness,
    that I may acknowledge you alone.
    Tell me where to look
    that I may see you,
    and I will place my hope in doing your will. Amen

    ※※ ※※
    1) What can you point to in your living (rather than your words) that show you have hope?
    2) Is there a difference between optimism and living in hope? How do you tell the difference in a person’s life?
    3) How is hope counter-cultural?