Devotion.al

Tag: repent

  • Kinda Stuck

    Kinda Stuck

    Kinda Stuck

    7 September 2020

    Leviticus 4:27–31; Leviticus 5:14–16; 1 John 1:6–10

    When we talk about sin, we often operate with the presumption of commission of sin. In other words, we did something. There is also the sin of omission. In other words, what we didn’t do.

    The morning confession in the Book of Common Prayer reads
    Most merciful God,
    we confess that we have sinned against you
    in thought, word, and deed,
    by what we have done,
    and by what we have left undone.
    We have not you with our whole heart;
    we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.
    We are truly sorry and we humbly repent.
    For the sake of your Son Christ,
    have mercy on us and forgive us;
    that we may delight in your will,
    and walk in your ways,
    to the of your Name. Amen.

    In many respects, this confession is hard, because in it we confess that we are not loving God and others as God has called us to do. On the other hand, this confession is freeing, as we aren’t required to go down all the items we messed up on (and some days that can be quite a lot).

    When we read Leviticus, we can often get bogged down in all the rules. Yet, if you read the rules in today’s verses, there is in them. In them, while the rules regarding are stringent, at the same time there is the recognition that someone may not recognize the act while in the middle of committing it.

    We all make mistakes. Sometimes those mistakes are sins. Sometimes they aren’t sins, per se, but still hurt others. We aren’t supposed to beat ourselves up about it. We are supposed to confess, repent, and on.

    Even in Leviticus, barring a few acts, there isn’t a “no repeat” rule. This means that God will gracefully accept our confession and repentance. While we will often continue to sin (sometimes even the same thing), if we are truly repentant in our hearts and confess, God moves on, and so should we.

    Yes, we are called to be better than we were yesterday. Being better than we were yesterday also means better to ourselves than we were yesterday. People will often continually condemn themselves about their failures. When we condemn ourselves, we are often closer to the enemy than God.

    Through the Holy Spirit, God convicts. The purpose of that conviction is to free us from the and reconcile us to God. The enemy condemns. That condemnation will often tear our hearts and souls into pieces, leading us to further ourselves from God.

    This is not God’s intent. Yes, we are to be aware of what separates us from God. We are to confess and work on what separates us from God. It’s hard enough to improve our walk with God, let us not help the enemy take us further away from the reconciling heart of God.

    ※Prayer※

    Lord, help us be true to you through our confessions and our reconciliation to you. Amen.

    ※Questions※

    1) Is there a sin or struggle in your that you can’t seem to get a handle on, and are concerned that God just won’t let it go? Is it God, or is it you that won’t let it go?

    2) Why do we often let our mistakes and errors bind us?

    3) One aspect of the of the Gospel is from chains. How will you share with others the chains you have been freed from?

  • Internal Sweep

    Internal Sweep

    Judges 17:1–13; 1 Samuel 8:1–9; Ezekiel 14:1–11

    Judges 17:6 sums up the problem, “In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did whatever seemed right to him.”

    Not that long ago, the US would use the term “wild west.” Depending on the historian, the “wild west” lasted around 10-40 years. On the other hand, what was going on in Israel was over hundreds of years. Many generations learned to do things their way, and not God’s.

    Samuel was, in most respects, the last judge. Samuel may have been one of the few judges that lamented and was angry over the choice of the Israelites to have a king. While God understood that they were rejecting God as king, at the same time the Israelites seemed to recognize the pattern of the judges wasn’t working for them either.

    Despite all the burdens that having a king would bring, they perceived an advantage…stability. A king and the succession would seem to provide a greater stability than the judge system. They weren’t wrong, but they were focusing on the wrong thing.

    Even while complaining about Samuel’s sons doing their own thing, they were seeking their own thing. They could not see that their actions were the same.

    Much later, after all of that, the kings of Israel and Judah (the tribes had separated by the time of Ezekiel) had done far worse than the time of judges. In addition, they took the people with them on their journey away from God.

    Ezekiel was just before the total fall of Israel and its subsequent disappearance from history.* Despite his words, and the words of before and alongside him, the leaders (let alone the people) did not listen to the words from God.

    They chose to continue to go their own way. And yet, they approached Ezekiel to get something from God. God was pretty clear. They were estranged from God because of their idols.

    All the bad stuff that was coming would go away with repentant hearts that were determined not to .

    The question for us is are we like the mother who made an of silver coins, or are we the elders who despised her and yet put idols up in their hearts? There are far too many things that can become idols. In fact, in this unsettled time, it seems that there are even more idols today then there were last year.

    Who of us will acknowledge our idol ? That’s an extremely hard question to deal with. We often use the phrasing of an idol being something that you put before God, but that may actually be too narrow of a focus.

    Many of us don’t believe we put something before God in our lives, yet most of us do something that we put before God. What your idol may be could very well be different than another person’s. That is also what makes it hard.

    Only by have a deep abiding with God, and pursuing it, do we begin to see the idols that we have.

    ※Prayer※

    Lord, you told about graven images and idols of the . Help us to break those idols so that our relationship with you is pure. Amen.

    ※Questions※

    1) By changing the focus of what might be an idol, what thing or activity comes to mind?

    2) What do you think are the primary root issues that people “put up” idols?

    3) Do you think unsettled times or easy times “create” more idols?

    *The of Israel, or the Northern Kingdom consisted of 9 of the 12 tribes (the Levite tribe isn’t counted in either Northern or Southern Kingdoms). The Kingdom of Judah, or the Southern Kingdom, was primary of Judah, but also included the remnants of Simeon and Benjamin ( was of Benjamin lineage). The Levites were mixed into both kingdoms, and it gets hard to neatly define how many tribes and of how much were in each kingdom.

  • It’s Pretty Simple

    It’s Pretty Simple

    Psalm 138; Mark 1:14–16; John 16:5–11 (read online ⧉)

    Some of you know just how simple our really is. On the other hand, within its simplicity is great complexity. The tension within that “entertains” theologians, and can drive the of us a little crazy.

    Part of the complexity is not that our faith is truly complex, but that we understand ourselves and our fellow humanity. Humanity seeks to find the “gray” areas. We seek to get away with whatever we can.

    Many of the arguments (or strongly-worded discussions and schisms) revolve around what “exactly” the say. Often, sadly, some of the biggest struggles are over what the Bible doesn’t say. In the Church of the Nazarene, we say that the 66 Books of the Bible contain all that is necessary to understand (gaining it is something different). Yes, that leaves it open to a lot of discussions. Many of those are good discussions; some of them aren’t so good. Yet, the “faith” remains simple.

    Mark says proclaimed, “ and believe…” That’s pretty simple.

    John, on the other hand, begins to show that it isn’t quite so simple. The Counselor (the ) will come to convict. Of course, only after one is convicted (spiritually, not legally) can one repent. So quickly the simplicity is peeled away.

    There is something odd about this. His 11 disciples (we’ll skip Judas Iscariot) would be saved at this point, would they not? Yet, Jesus implies that it is not quite the case; it is, and it isn’t. Or, perhaps, it is more of a “saved to the best of your understanding now” and “better saved later”.

    Jesus died for us. There isn’t a question about that. The Holy Spirit convicts. Jesus doesn’t. So, we need the Holy Spirit. Still sort of simple, but we can see how quickly, just with Jesus’ words, that simple is not simplistic, and complexity hides the simpleness.

    ※ Prayer ※
    God, help us to keep the simpleness of the faith in our hearts. At the same time, help us not be confused or overwhelmed by trying to understand you, our infinite Creator. Amen.

    ※ ※
    1) How do you know someone has been saved? What do you them?
    2) Once you know they’re saved, do you talk about the mysteries of God? Why or why not?
    3) If you had to choose between the faith being simple or the faith being complex, which would you choose? Why?
    4) Do you think simple and complex are the right words? What other words might you use?

  • The 3 Rs: Regret, Remorse, Repent

    Matthew 27:3–4, Luke 17:1–4, Acts 8:9–25, Acts 16:22–34 (read online ⧉)

    According to Merriam-Webster…

    regret means (1)(a) to mourn the or death of, (b) to miss very much; (2) to be very sorry for

    remorse means (1) a gnawing distress arising from a sense of for past wrongs, self-reproach

    repent means (1) to turn from and dedicate oneself to the amendment of one’s ; (2)(a) to feel regret or contrition, (b) to change one’s mind

    The words we use mean something. We often use regret and repent interchangeably when we talk about sin and forgiveness. How we use these two words really matter. The key to this is ‘ words. If the brother repents, then forgive them (and we won’t talk about the counting piece, as that is merely a distraction for today). We, understandably, question how we can tell that someone has repented. If we were to take Jesus’ words literally, we would especially question it if the person came back 7 times in a day repenting. If we use the understanding of feeling sorrow and changing one’s mind, it seems that the person really didn’t change their mind.

    Yet, if something has been ingrained and habituated, 1 day of repentance isn’t going to make a -, mind-, and behavior-deep change. If that were so effective, the percentage of people “breaking” their New Year’s resolutions wouldn’t be increasing day-by-day. Repentance (sorrow along with change of mind/heart) may not be a short road to walk for many issues. Sometimes the repentance for an action may be jeopardized by other behaviors and habits that resulted in the behavior repented for. For example, one doesn’t just have an adulterous affair one day (with certain psychological issues being the exception). It builds up. Staring at the other sex. Flirting with them. Placing them above your spouse. It all builds on one another. While a person may repent (whole-heartedly) of their adultery, the other behaviors that lead to it still need to be addressed.

    Regret, on the other hand, is something different. People will often regret their bad actions, but only because they were caught. Or they might regret their actions because they perceive they lost out on something they wanted. Another way to think of it can be found in the current cultural phenomenon called FOMO, which is an acronym of Of Missing Out. FOMO is a fear of the potential regret one might feel for not doing something. The reality is that we all have regrets.

    The difference between regret and repent is different than a similarity in the potential of both, which is often where we confuse them. Regret, by and large, is selfish. This is not always the case, granted. However, if one thinks about when feelings of regret (or conveyed) it usually is not about harm inflicted upon another (that is remorse), it is about how the bad thing affected the person feeling regret. Remorse lies between regret and repent. At least remorse is about another (i.e., less selfish), but there is still selfishness involved.

    Many Christians, probably most of us, the repent until they need to repent. We don’t mind regretting, too much. We’re okay with remorse. The reason why regret and remorse are tolerable is they don’t really require anything of us. Repentance, on the other, requires all of us.

    1) What have you regretted in life? Why?

    2) What have you felt remorse for in life? Why? Did you make amends, or what happened?

    3) Skipping the often ingenuine “I repented of all my sins”, what have you repented of? If you committed the action that you repented of, did you really repent, or was it really regret and/or remorse?

  • Synaxis of John the Baptist

    John 1:24-34, John 3:27–30 (read online ⧉)

    John the Baptist is one of those interesting characters of Scripture. He wore camel hair and ate locust-honey “cakes”. He called everyone to . People came from miles around to see him, and many were baptized by him. He was definitely a famous person.

    Was it the show, or were there really seeking and repentant hearts? The answer is yes. For many, it was the show. For it what a form of seeking that was different than the weight of the Law that many carried.
    What about John, though?

    He was drawing crowds. He could have been something more than just a guy in the wilderness. Yet, he chose the Jordan river as the home of his ministry. He chose the untamed wilderness to people to repentance. It wasn’t like he couldn’t have done something more. Yet, as his disciples questioned (basically) why he didn’t “stand up” to for taking “his” followers away, we see the heart of John. It wasn’t for himself. It was for God.

    It was for Jesus! It’s so easy for us to look back and say that obviously John did that for Jesus. Yet, we look around us at famous people (politicians, company executives, entertainers, even pastors), and when push really came to shove would they dump it all for Jesus? We’d think it would be easy for pastors. They are , too. is attractive, and pastors want to be successful, too.

    John’s , though, was significant. Israel’s was indeed the goal. His ministry was a stepping stone, and even Jesus noted that John’s ministry of repentant baptism was necessary to fulfill all righteousness.

    1) Where have you been successful in life? If you are in a place of success now, how sure would you be to drop it all if Jesus were to call on you to do that?

    2) How was John’s ministry not successful? How was John’s ministry successful?

    3) What is the difference between worldy success and Godly success (if there is any)? If they are different, how do you define success for yourself, members, or the ?

  • Pride Versus Repentance

    1 Kings 8:44–53, Zechariah 1:1–17, Acts 3:13–26

    That Solomon included this request for the Israelites who would be in exile while inaugurating the newly built temple should not be overlooked. It is significant. With so much foreshadowing of the Israelites going into exile, one would think that the Israelites would have figured it out. The great , Moses, foreshadowed it. Yet, rebellion (of a number of sorts), confusion, and hardened hearts meant that they were headed to exile eventually.

    When the exile did come, at least, God made it clear that exile wasn’t the . All they had to do was say, “sorry.” Yes, it’s a little more complicated than that. On the other hand, it is still that simple. God remains true to God’s and justice. There isn’t a free pass for the Israelites out of exile. The way to get back isn’t too onerous, for those who are not too full of pride.

    Even after all of that, pride was still an issue. Peter challenged the pride of the Jews, who built so much of their on their bloodline. Peter used that pride against them, really to make a point. They were so sure of themselves and their leaders that they killed the person they were waiting for.

    Peter makes it clear though…. Yes, it’s that easy.

    1) What do you take pride in? Has it ever interfered with your ?

    2) Do you take pride in certain parts of your (denomination, stance on an issue, etc.)? How could that interfere with your and your following ?

  • Blessings and Consequences

    Exodus 34:1–27, Ezekiel 18:1–32

    There are many instances in life where and consequences appear to be related, but at the same time aren’t.

    Often times, especially for “simpler” crimes, we see only the person convicted, not the victims. And when we see the victims, we see the victim of the crime itself and not the “invisible” victims. The invisible victims? There are many. Often there are far more invisible victims than visible ones. This is not (in any way) intended to diminish the actual victims and their pains…not at all. It is to widen our understanding of consequences.

    When God appears to threaten families (whole lineages) with the sins of a forebear, it can seem to be too much. Of course, if one notices the are for 1000 generations and the “” for only 4, there does seem to be an odd imbalance. How does it work when 1 generation is , and the next is faithless? Is it an equation of 1000-4=996? Then the next generation is faithful, and it is again 1000? Perhaps.

    On the other hand, there might be another thing going on here. We have to recall that is everything in the ancient world. The thought of the 1000 generations after you would have been a strong motivator to do right. Watching your children, grandchildren, and (if you live long) your great-grandchildren suffer the consequences of your wrongs would be a strong deterrent.

    This is why understanding who the invisible victims of crime are is so important. The children of the criminal are often deeply affected (for life). The children of victims are deeply affected. The extended families of both perpetrator and victim suffer. It may be in small ways, but the smallest thing can turn a to good or bad.

    The consequences of the sins are carried on. There is a reason why (especially) negative traits (e.g., alcoholism, abuse) are passed down in families. The offender (e.g., the alcoholic or abuser) may have repented, but the damage has been done and usually gets passed down. That is reality.

    That there has to be a clarification of this tells us that there had been some sort of abuse. Whether it was “just” the saying, or if there was something that was far deeper, pervasive, and (or sinful) is up for interpretation. That God saw it as necessary to clarify would seem to indicate a strong spiritual problem that needed to be addressed.

    With these 2 passages, we see guilt and consequences. People may incur guilt with God and others. They can , seek forgiveness, and receive it. The consequences, however, remain. The guilt is ours. The consequences are not. When we , it may seem it affects only us, but we may never fully understand the consequences our sins have for others.

    1) What does it mean to be guilty? Toward whom are you guilty?

    2) Have you seen or experienced the consequences of another person’s sins? How did you feel about those consequences? How did you feel about the person as a result of those consequences?

    3) There is a trap when we focus on these two passages, and that is ignoring collective sin. What are collective sins that you can think of? What do you think the consequences were/are?

  • Spirit Movement

    Psalm 51, Isaiah 66:1–16, Acts 16:6–15

    How the Spirit moves in our lives is both a mystery and very important. The psalmist requests to be restored. Attributed to King David after being confronted in his regarding Bathsheba and Uriah, there is definitely some restoration that needs to happen.

    While David as an was often not the shining example, at the same time he led the people of Israel to worship God fully. While we recognize David’s shortcomings and sins, we also have to recognize what he brought. Does that mean that what he did was okay? Obviously not. As we see in Psalm 51, David did .

    On the other hand, but the time if Isaiah, the rulers, and the people were not fully worshipping God. God was just another god, one of many. Many followed the prescribed outward practices but did not have the that was yielded to God. Isaiah wasn’t the only prophet calling to account, either. Contrast this to David. Nathan had a very short , and David was contrite. David was humble, submissive in spirit, and trembled at God’s world (Isaiah 66:2).

    David and the chided (by Isaiah) Israelites had very different responses to the Holy Spirit. Both had an experience of correction. David had additional experiences of support and direction.

    , by this time in Acts, had had a number of interesting experiences with the Holy Spirit, but this might be one of the most important as it applies to us. Paul wanted to go to Asia. That was the plan. God wouldn’t let them. Think about that for a moment. Many in the church (rightfully) talk about the loss of evangelism. Paul was told not to evangelize. Then he tries to go to Bithynia and is again stopped by the Holy Spirit. Stopped. Prevented. No evangelism here.

    Then Paul received a dream from a (nameless) man to come to Macedonia. He does so and makes his way to Philippi. There he meets Lydia. She converts to Christianity and becomes a strong supporter of the church. Some have called her a deacon, and yet others claim that her role was more pastor or bishop. While who knows what could have happened in Asia or Bithynia, Lydia’s conversion along with the establishment of the church at Philippi is all pretty important.

    Sometimes the Holy Spirit, as some say, knocks a person on the head with a 2×4. Other times the Holy Spirit nudges and encourages by whispers. Other times, the Holy Spirit closes the door. Being aware, being responsive, and being obedient to the Holy Spirit is what will and change us. Also, this is how we are transformed to be more like .

    1) When you believe the Holy Spirit is telling you to stop, how do you test whether it is the Holy Spirit or your ?

    2) When you believe the Holy Spirit is telling you to go, how do you test whether it is the Holy Spirit or your desires?

    3) When in the last week have you felt either go or stop from the Holy Spirit? If you haven’t, are you open to asking (and listening to) the Holy Spirit about what should be stopped or started?