Devotion.al

Tag: questions

  • What’s The Matter?

    What’s The Matter?

    Numbers 3:44–48; Numbers 18:20; Deuteronomy 10:8–9; 1 Peter 2:3–10

    Inheritance wars have long been a genre of popular fiction. Whether the fights were over business or titles of nobility or who will take over the family criminal enterprise. Sometimes, battles are fought over who gets what, or who got the most. That last one may even destroy family ties as one person feels loved least or loved most.

    In the agricultural world, inheritance what truly critical, as which land (or how much of it) could mean success or , with success often being just making it to the next season.

    The Levites were given cities and surrounding land, but that land and city was always within the domain of another tribe. In some respects, we can view them as embassies. Due to agreements and treaties, the land within an embassy is treated as if it belongs to the ambassadorial country.

    However, the embassy being another country is a matter of treaty. It is not absolute. The perpetual tension of an embassy is that it can be revoked. In fact, “breaking off” of diplomatic relations usually went along with embassies being closed. The land of that “country” returned to the holding of the host country.

    Upon the entrance to the Promised Land, the immediate was fulfillment. In other words, there wasn’t an issue with the Levites and the allocations.

    God was the inheritance of the Levites. That’s a pretty big inheritance. When the people, however, don’t or love God and thus don’t bring the first fruits or monetary replacement, then what?

    From a modern , it seems that the goal was for the Levites (certainly of the service) to be sustained by the sacrifice. The extended purpose of the Levitical cities was to guard against a people who forgot about God. At the Levites would have food.

    Did the Levites fulfill God’s intent for them? It would seem not, but to put all (or even most) of the blame on them would deny others’ choices.

    A number of years ago, I heard a quip, “Christianity is one generation away from vanishing.” In many respects, this is a true statement. If the faith is not passed down, it will not survive outside of the work of God. The same could be said of the Levites of the Jews.

    In many respects, what the Levites experienced (and continue to) is what Christians should expect, too. Now, this is not because we aren’t good enough sharing the of God. It’s not that we’re bad about talking about the love of God (though there are many loud people who are awful at it).

    We really need help at living it out well. This is the muddle, though. We think we are. We might even be. The world, however, doesn’t see it that way.

    ※Questions※

    1) Do you think the world is more or less correct that we Christians (as a whole) do not live out the Christian life of love?

    2) Do you think the Priesthood of all Believers (1 Peter 2:3–10) is equivalent to the Levites?  Why or why not? If yes, what does that mean for you?

    3) Levites’ primary purpose was the work of the Temple. Families taught the faith. Today, our “priests” (pastors) seem to be expected to be the only teachers. What can the Levites’ place teach us about pastors and families in regards to faith and ?

    ※Prayer※

    , you called a certain people to facilitate relationship between you and your people. Help us to be facilitators of your dream for the world to reconcile itself to you. Amen.

  • See and Be Seen

    See and Be Seen

    Genesis 16:7–14; John 1:47–51

    Have you ever been to a big event? Maybe a concert? Maybe a sports game? And then you spend anywhere from 2 to 4 hours with thousands of your closest friends.

    Most of those people really aren’t your friends. Unless you are ticket holder buddies, you are unlikely to see them again.

    The reality is that a service, even when small, can often feel the same way. You gather with other like-minded (at least somewhat religiously) individuals. You , stand, sing, pray, sit, listen, leave.

    You may not feel that way. You may feel like your church is your family. If so, that’s great! It is also as it should be.

    However, there are those that don’t feel that way. They can feel separated, ignored, unknown. They can feel unseen.

    Hagar was cast out. She and her son were no longer welcome in the place she called home. She and Ishmael were now in -threatening danger. In that day and age, being alone in the wilderness does not bode well for a woman and a boy.

    There are a lot of people inside and out of the “the body of Christ” that are in a place of being alone. survival is far more than food, shelter, and clothing. We need to be known. We need to be seen. We need to be heard.

    Hagar’s story is stronger than the simple story of Nathanael. Yet, Nathanael’s was open to Jesus because Jesus saw him. Yes, Jesus saw him from far away. Jesus, though, identified Nathanael’s character, as well. There is more than just . There is of the person.

    Developing those relations is important for human thriving. It is also important for the spiritual growth of the and the body of Christ.

    We all have spiritual growth of some sort. However, what sort matters greatly. If your growth is alone, then you can be sharp, but you can also be blunt. Without others to stand beside you, and sometimes in front of you, your growth may be that of a monster not of a believer.

    Only in faithful fellowship are we kept on the narrow path. Only in faithful fellowship can we really be seen by others. Only in faithful fellowship can do more than just survive.

    ※Questions※

    1) Who are you actively walking with to and be discipled by? If no one, who could you see being discipling partners with?

    2) Why do you think so many people do not have healthy discipling relationships?

    3) What will you do to champion healthy discipling in your church?

    ※Prayer※

    Jesus, thank you for your example of walking for years with people as broken as me. Help me see that I still need healing just like others. Help me be your to others and help me accept your light from others. Amen.

  • Evangel

    Evangel

    Evangel

    28 September 2020

    Luke 1:68–80; Ephesians 4:7–16

    Many years ago, there was campaign against man-caused forest fires. The campaign “starred” a little bear cub that, while burned, survived a man-caused forest fire. The tagline for the campaign was, “Only YOU can prevent forest fires.”

    From a strict understanding, of course, it’s not just you that can prevent forest fires. It’s you and everyone else around whose behavior contributes to the amount of man-caused forest fires. Of course, you can only prevent forest fires when you are the contributor of the originating fire.

    That was the beauty of the campaign. Ultimately, it was just you that can prevent forest fires, it was you and your friends and everyone else working together to prevent man-caused forest fires.

    What, you may be asking yourself, have to do with Zechariah’s Spirit-driven prophetic speech over an infant John the Baptist? Re-read it, and where it says, “you, child…” say, “me, [your name]…”

    Just like the campaign starring Smokey the Bear, it wasn’t just John the Baptist who was called to go before . Each and every one of us is called to “go before” Jesus in our daily lives.

    How that works in each person’s life will, for most, remain a mystery. However, when we live out a life that witnesses to the power, , and love of Jesus Christ, we go before Jesus. Once we are asked a why or how question about our lives, then we get to announce Jesus.

    You probably never thought of yourself as John the Baptist. That’s probably a good thing, for none of us can be another person, nor did God call us to be that way. We are not called to be John the Baptist.

    You are probably not called to eat wild locusts and honey. Nor are you probably called to wear a hairy coat. We are called to follow in the “spirit of” John the Baptist by proclaiming salvation through Jesus Christ.

    When we think of evangelism, we generally think about sharing Jesus with people who don’t know Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Perhaps, however, we are just as called to Jesus with those in the Body of Christ (the church).

    wrote to the Ephesians about the varying roles within the body. The overarching goal is, “… in the faith and in the knowledge of God’s …” He wrote that to Christians.

    Our (good) desire to reach people who don’t know Jesus may well have obscured something essential. We need to continue to evangelize (i.e., tell the Good News about Jesus) each other.

    ※Questions※

    1) Where and how do you see yourself evangelizing those that do not yet know Jesus? How about those who already declare they know Jesus?

    2) What scares you most evangelizing? Does that depending on whether they are already or not yet believers?

    3) What are some ways evangelizing is (or should be) performed within the body of believers?

    ※Prayer※

    Holy Spirit, guide our hearts to always be evangelizing one another. Amen.

  • AntiPyros

    AntiPyros

    Proverbs 16:28; Philippians 2:1–13; James 3:1–13

    A pyromaniac is a person who continually fails to resist the to start fires, often as a sort of method to relieve tension or for instant gratification. Pyromania (the term for the condition) is an impulse control disorder. What should we call those whose (or keyboard strokes) cause firestorms of angst, hatred, , sorrow, etcetera?

    As Christians, perhaps one of the biggest acts of serving love we can do in these days is to be firefighters. This is not about “fake news”, “doctored news”, “spin”, or any other term being flung about these days to discredit those perceived to be from the so-called opposition.

    It wasn’t that long ago that the entire West Coast of the US was blanketed with smoke from many wildland fires. Millions of acres burned. Some categorize the amount of acreage burned as record-breaking. If we were to estimate the number of firefighters working to knock out the fires at 350 thousand (which is probably a quite high estimate), that would be around 1/10 of 1% (0.001) of the US population.

    Why do those numbers matter? A relatively small proportion of the US population put out so many fires over a large amount of acreage. That’s the way we should be.

    In the context of the church, fire is a symbol of the and a purifier/cleanser. However, the other side of fire is utter destruction. A purifying fire can be good, however, the church (and society, and history, and the world) has had too many instances when a purifying fire becomes corrupted, and all it does is destroy.

    There are far too many people like those in Proverbs 16:28 who seek to sow discord and conflict, and others who spread gossip to tear down their intellectual opponents. The certainly do not celebrate such individuals. Nor should we.

    Gossip and conflict-starting put oneself above others. When we look to ourselves and not others, there is a huge potential to sow hatred and derision rather than the love of Christ. When we in love and with the intent to build others up, the fire-starting tongue becomes a blesser rather than a curser.

    ※Questions※

    1) Where are you seeing Christian brothers and sisters being unholy fire-starters and spreaders, rather than holy firefighters?

    2) What are some ways and words that you can use to help quench the unholy fires of words that are shared around you?

    3) What, if any, experiences have you had where what was (or was intended to be) a purifying fire turned into a destructive one?

    ※Prayer※

    , we ask you to light us up as beacons of your and love. Guide us to be the ones that holy fire and extinguish unholy fire. Amen.

  • Who Is Family?

    Who Is Family?

    Psalm 2; Acts 13:32–41; Galatians 4:1–8

    I was Luke Skywalker for . I was attired like he was when we first see him in Star Wars (now re-titled “Episode IV: A New ”). Needless to say, I was excited to see The Empire Strikes back a few years later. Then my world was shaken. My hero, Luke Skywalker, had his arm chopped off and Darth Vader (the archetypal bad guy) reveals that he is Luke Skywalker’s father.

    (the scene of Luke trying to escape Darth Vader who reaches out his hand and says, “Luke…I am your father…,” and Luke screams, “NO!”)

    Granted, Leia was more shocked when she learned that she was Luke Skywalker’s sister and thus also the daughter of Darth Vader, whom she would have been raised to oppose (though I will say that the acting of both Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher left a lot to be desired for that scene).

    There are likely many of us who would say they have not had such a revisionist event in their lives. If you were raised in the from childhood, coming to know Christ is not the same life-altering experience as it could have been.

    This is not the case with all, for some wandered away in their hearts while still showing up in the building and mouthing the words. Others walked out, cursing, drinking, smoking, or whatever other issue that some church person got all offended about. Some of these indeed did have that life-altering experience, which is why they came back to the family of God.

    For those, though, whose encounter with Jesus was life-trajectory-altering this glimpse of a truly messed-up family dynamic (from Star Wars) makes sense. While not the seemingly negative of being identified with the galaxy’s number 2 most evil and hated person, coming to identify oneself as a child of the creator of everything is definitely a change for many.

    For those of a more intellectual bent, we can assent to Jesus being Lord and Savior, and even assent to being a child of God. The emotional switch to go from assent to embrace (mind to ) can be significantly altering.

    For those of a more emotional bent, we can have a heart that loves Jesus, and is grateful that he is Lord and Savior. Our hearts will be formed (whether twisted or beautiful) by our family/life history, and the change to embrace the fullness of being a child of God can be almost impossible as our hearts are stuck in their ways (hearts often being harder to change than minds).

    The significance of this is that many, even most, of “the church” body may not have had that experience. This makes it hard to reach people for whom this experience will have to happen for them to come and know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

    Often, all we can do is pray and be ready to be there when their world shifts.

    ※Questions※

    1) Who do you identify with the most, the intellectual, the emotional, or the trajectory-altered? Why?

    2) Why is it important to understand how much of a change—just on an emotional and intellectual level—is being “asked” of those who do not yet know, or need to come back and know, Jesus?

    3) How does understanding what was a brand-new way of life, thinking, and belong meant to the early church (i.e., in Acts and Galatians) impact or should impact how we in the church today operate and think?

    ※Prayer※

    Jesus, through the of the , and as children of God the Father, help us to gain and/or never lose the life transformational understanding of what a with you means. Amen.

  • A Time To Sin

    A Time To Sin

    Job 1:9–22; Ecclesiastes 3:1–11; Ezekiel 18:5–18

    You are probably familiar with Pete Seeger’s Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is a Season). Written in the late 50s, it was commercially via The Byrds in 1965. It takes Ecclesiastes verses 3:1–8 and puts them to music.

    Pete Seeger’s intent behind the song was to promote world peace. That’s a very laudable goal. The irony of that goal is that the lyrics are almost a fatalistic to the fallen and unpeaceful ways of the world.

    There are a lot of things not specifically mentioned as having time for. Certainly, singing and learning were part of at that point, but they aren’t specifically mentioned (though singing could be inferred with dancing). The and driving weren’t mentioned specifically (of course) but would be covered under “everything”.

    The “everything” is a pretty big catch-all. Does that mean, then, that there is a time to ?

    That might seem to be a stupid question, yet, depending on one’s view of God, it isn’t stupid at all. The answer to that question may very well display what you think about God in several significant ways (though we won’t get them all).

    When you read the story of Job (whether allegorical or true) how do you “read” the between Satan and God? Is God allowing or directing?

    Based on the end of this section of verses, Job did not assign wrongdoing to God (blame), and as such, did not sin. Then should we conclude that God allowed this to happen?

    For many, leaving it as “a mystery” is fine, except for the problem of blame. If God wills/desires it, and if God is omnipotent, then how can God be loving and full of grace and mercy. The rejoinder often is, we can’t know the mind of God. This is true, in so far as finite creatures (us) trying to fully understand the infinite (God).

    Yet, the (given by God) also provide us insights into who God is, so the conclusions we draw from the Scriptures also deeply affect how we view and relate to God.

    Is this that important? Yes. When you sin, is it you sinning by your will, or is God willing you to do something then assigning the sin to you? That is the choice laid before us.

    Ezekiel’s words reinforce one answer. Your sin is a result of your will (or in the face of ).

    What is also part of this is that your sin cannot be laid at another’s feet (God’s or human’s). It is yours. Own it. Yes, own your sin.

    This is not go and sin again. It is own your sin so as to repent and restore right relationship with God.

    “‘…For I take no pleasure in anyone’s .’ This is the declaration of the Lord GOD. ‘So repent and live!’” (Ezekiel 18:32)

    ※Questions※

    1) Repent is based on the root of “turn from” or “turn around”. What do you need to repent from? If you cannot think of a “sin” (or even if you can), what is something else that you might need to turn from to improve or deepen your relationship with God?

    2) How do you define sin? How do you know/learn if something new (such as a behavior) is a sin, or not?

    3) What your current or past Job moments? How do/did they affect your relationship with God?

    ※Prayer※

    Heavenly Father, as we read your word, we learn about you. Help us to be stirred to read your word that we continue to in our knowledge of and relationship with you. Amen.

  • De-Vine

    De-Vine

    De-Vine

    22 September 2020

    Isaiah 5:1–7; John 15:1–8; Romans 11:13–25

    If you’ve seen ivy or even “domesticated” wisteria and clematis that have been allowed to run free, you can envision a people out of control. A vine does what it does best…spread. There are other plants like the Western Pacific Northwest’s ubiquitous blackberry vines, or the (what becomes) noxious mint plant.

    I like blackberries. I like mint. However, their plants can leave a lot to be desired. If left unchecked, they will conquer a yard (or in the case of the blackberry, the state). I have seen ivy plants choke off and kill beautiful pine trees. I have seen wisteria “worm” its way into decks until the deck is deformed and needs repair.

    If left alone, most plants go “wild”. A wise and experienced pruner (or gardener or vinedresser or arborist, etc.) will prune and trim to guide the plant toward optimal growth. Interestingly, the of different pruners will result in plants that can look similar or can look wildly different.

    A pruner may choose to prune what seems to be good young fruit because they can see that the branch on which that fruit grows may be endangered or will later endanger other branches and fruit if allowed to . Even successful fruit growing branches may be pruned.

    One of the concerns regarding Christians is that many think that once they are on the vine of Jesus, they’ve arrived. Arrival only happens when we stand before the throne of and have to answer for what we have done with the gifts and graces that God had given us.

    There are some who think they are like the vines in Isaiah that are secure behind protective bushes and thick walls. Those that think they are so protected often succumb to arrogance and laziness. This can be because they think they are the “city on the hill” or a “blessed ”.

    Others think that because they produce “good” fruit that there will be no trimming or pruning involved. They are firmly based on the “root” (Jesus). They may receive even more trimming and pruning to increase their production of good fruit. The sad part is what fruit might be lost during that pruning. For God’s greater glory, however, such pruning may be necessary.

    The last group is a cautionary tale for us all. addresses the Israelites who have been trimmed from the trunk. Paul addresses the who have been grafted into the trunk. Over time those grafts are almost as if they were always part of the trunk. Those grafts, however, can be removed.

    There is no surety of maintaining one’s grafting except relying fully on God. The arrogance of being the original (the Jews/Israelites) or the grafted (the Gentiles) is a barrier to bring the unbranched (those that do not yet know Jesus as Lord and Savior), and (honestly) is a barrier to one’s relationship with God.

    There is the surety in trusting in God and salvation through Jesus. There is the danger when that turns into an illness that turns hearts away from God.

    ※ Questions ※

    1) What or where is God pruning in your ?

    2) Is God’s pruning where there is fruit, or is God pruning where there is wildness (not conforming to God’s plan)?

    3) How does arrogance or presumption affect one’s salvation relationship with God? How does it impact what others /see about God?

    ※ ※

    Lord, may we be aware of what you are pruning in our lives. Help us to be faithfully and hopefully looking for what will happen as a result. Amen.

  • Ever Cleaning

    Ever Cleaning

    Matthew 12:43–45

    Have you ever had a guest (or guests) coming, and all of a sudden you realize your house is a mess? Maybe you go a little crazy cleaning the house up-and-down. You might even draft the spouse or kids to “help”.

    The guest(s) then come. The event/time comes and probably went just fine. Then you don’t clean the house until the next guest. You just leave it. The toilets and sinks turn foul. The and hair build on every surface and in every crevice. Food crumbs are being walked out of the house by ant trails. You just let it all go until the next guest, right?

    Of course not! Granted, you may not clean as minutely as when a guest comes. You won’t let it all go, though.

    This passage of is not quite the same as cleaning the house for the guest. It’s cleaning the house to get rid of the bad guest. It also about why one cleans the house.

    The “ generation” wanted the Messiah to come and make everything better…without changing what they were doing. They wanted the Messiah to refresh, but they really didn’t want renewal.

    On the other hand, there are aspects to this parable that apply to our own lives.

    Often, when we first come to Jesus it seems as if a huge burden (the bad guest) had gone away. Yet, for many people what ends up happening is that for a short time things are great, but all of a sudden all the habits or addictions or struggles that appeared to be conquered all come back with a vengeance. Kind of like the 7 new spirits.

    The house in the parable is empty of . No spirits. No Jesus. No Holy . That means an unHoly party is quite possible.

    Once we accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we still need to keep the house somewhat clean. Yes, with Jesus and the present we don’t get a complete unHoly party, but we certainly don’t have a -filled house if we allow the evil spirits to still live there.

    There is no “one time” cleansing of the house of our soul. There is passing the deed from the world to us, then to God. That doesn’t mean we can stop cleaning the house.

    Reading the helps to fill the space with God’s . Confessing our sins helps to fill the house with grace. At all times, God wants to fill the house with love…we just need to accept it.

    ※Questions※

    1) What do you do to regularly “clean” the house that is your soul?

    2) Have you ever been told that once you know Jesus, everything will be fine? What is the problem with that? What is the in that?

    3) Why is it important to recognize that all Christians need to be regularly “cleaning” their soul?

    ※Prayer※

    Holy Spirit, guide us to the corners and even the closets of our lives that need to be cleaned. Help us to regularly look to you and your people for guidance in that. Amen.