We'd appreciate you allowing the use of cookies. They are anonymized while allowing us to see how the site is used.

Devotion.al

Tag: response

  • Full Sanctuary, Empty Hearts

    Ezekiel 33:30–33, Matthew 15:1–9 (read online ⧉)

    Let’s be honest with ourselves. Let’s look at ourselves. Let’s look at the lives we lead, the lives we live. Is it us that God is talking to Ezekiel about?

    Reading only the surface of the Scriptures, of course not. The Israelites had turned prophets into spectacles. Perhaps the merchants and peddlers followed the prophets hawking their wares. Perhaps the people’s hearts were so calloused that even the words of God—sharper than any sword—could not carve the hardness away. Pastors, preachers, teachers, prophets, evangelists, apostles all speaking the Word of God, and no one listens. Truly listens.

    When hearing the word of God, do the people respond even with a heartbeat, or does it just go in one ear and out the other? God’s word never returns void, but the human heart often wants nothing to do with feeling the Creator of the universe actually love them. Sound crazy when said that way, yet we look at the world and come to no other conclusion. The sad part is much of that same lack of response occurs in the pews on Sundays. Yes, it’s true. People are concerned about others falling asleep or being on their devices, but the truth is that sometimes sitting there “listening” is a more deceptive behavior than anything else.

    The words in Ezekiel continue with empty and pointless worship. Jesus’ words in Matthew while echoing Isaiah also echoing Ezekiel. How many people don’t worship God when singing the songs? How many even listen to the songs?

    As Jesus continues on about traditions, are Sundays or Saturdays the “right” tradition for a day set aside for God and rest (Sabbath)? Is it which songs are song, or which words of God are repeated?

    1) If you are concerned about other people worshiping or listening to the word when you should be, what might be the problem?

    2) How do worship traditions strengthen your faith? How could they weaken it?

    3) How are the essentials for worship defined? Who defines them?

  • Sinning Fear

    Hebrews 10:26–11:1, 1 Corinthians 10:1–14 (read online ⧉)

    When we read verse 26 many people will become consumed by fear. There are a lot of people who were taught (and are being taught) that if you confess your sins (usually at church) then commit one immediately after, and then die, it’s as if the confession never existed. That is an incredibly hard place to live. There have been many Christians who have been worn down by this belief and it is heartbreaking, for it is not what the author of Hebrews intended.

    The concept of deliberately sinning is something that needs careful unpacking, and it is (in many respects) far beyond today’s devotional to dig into it. When we look at it with John Wesley’s understanding of sin (Sin is a willful transgression of a revealed and known law of God.) it not only helps, it ties in much better. The reality is that we will sin. However, it’s whether it is a lifestyle, or not. We can always try to convince ourselves that we are not making it a lifestyle. That is likely a tell that we are indeed living a lifestyle of sin. What helps us to not continue walking down the slippery slope (for it is one), is the expectation of judgment and fury.

    This is where a real balancing act has to occur. We don’t want to live in a life of fear, nor should we. Yet, we need to be aware that without Jesus Christ we are in that danger of judgment and fury. In other words, we ought to seek to not sin not because we fear, but out of thankfulness and gratitude that we do not have to fear.

    On the other hand, self-justification is what the author of Hebrews wants us to avoid. The Christian understands (or should) that Jesus Christ died on the cross, and any temptations we have ought to be tempered by the thought of crucifying Jesus. While this sounds severe and even brutal, this is what keeps us from losing our way. When we stop being horrified at crucifying Jesus Christ, then are we a Christian any longer? As the writer continues, he recalls to his readers/hearers that they have already suffered and persevered through abuse and persecutions. The author is telling them that by continuing in sinful behavior they are spitting on their own sacrifices. As the writer reminds us, it is faith that leads us through temptations and even our sins. We are ever reliant upon the grace and mercy of God!

    Of course, what constitutes sin is always asked in these situations. That’s pretty human. Paul reminds us that the Israelites all ate the same food and drank the same water as Moses. A portion died as a result of their behavior. Special food or drink didn’t save them (Communion as a means of grace is something different). They were drawn and tempted into old patterns, just as we are today.

    1) What is your initial response to 1 Corinthians 10:13? How do you think it applies to our passage in Hebrews?

    2) Are you fearful of the consequence of your sin? Why or why not? If so, how do you move beyond the fear?

    3) Do you really trust that a way out is provided (1 Corinthians 10:13)?

    Action: Write out a prayer to God using 1 Corinthians 10:13 as a starting point; perhaps a prayer of thanksgiving.

  • Choose Your Answer?

    Judges 6:11–24, Psalm 27:7–14, Isaiah 6:8–10 (read online ⧉)

    Gideon had a prayer. Likely many of the Israelites had the same prayer, “Save us!” It was certainly a worthwhile prayer. We could say that Gideon was chosen. He was. We look backward to Scriptures and we say, “Of course, Gideon was chosen.” Gideon certainly did not feel that way.

    In fact, his response was, “It couldn’t be me!” Gideon was either confirming (testing) that this really was from God, or Gideon was testing so that God would choose someone else. With God’s direction, Gideon was the answer to his own prayer. He had to face a well-trained and numerically superior force. That is the risk in prayer; having to be the answer to it.

    The “trick”, of course, is thinking that we must do it all on our own, without God. As Gideon lived it out, it was answering his own prayer by working with and on the behalf of God that things came to fruition.

    Isaiah, too, was an answer to prayer. The prayer, ultimately, was about the descendants of Israel needing a prophetic voice to call them back to relationship with God. In his own vision, God asked (not of him) who would go. Isaiah volunteers. It just popped out. Whoops! Isaiah became the prophetic voice and suffered greatly because of it.

    The psalmist talks about his struggles, and how he wants to see God’s face. He seeks God’s aid and sustenance. It is in verse 11, that we really see what each of us should be asking in our prayers, especially our audacious ones…
    “…show me your way, LORD,
    and lead me on a level path…”
    …follow the way of the Lord. Neither Gideon’s or Isaiah’s path (of the Lord that they followed) was level on the surface. Spiritually it was. Our lives of pain, failure, success, and even mediocrity, will not be “level.” When one fully rests, trusts, and follows God, the spiritual path will be level.

    1) When was the last time you made an audacious prayer request? What did you think of the answer?

    2) What is your limit to what God asks you to do? [and be honest…God already knows the answer.]

    3) What are thoughts about be the answer to your own prayers (at least some of them)?

    Action: Ask for God’s guidance for the path you are to walk.

  • Servant and Service

    Isaiah 44:21-23, Matthew 20:22–28, John 12:26 (read online ⧉)

    What is a servant? That isn’t a small question. In fact, in our culture, it is a huge thing.

    The cultural implications are generally demeaning (Alfred notwithstanding). That probably has a lot to do with the cultural wound of slavery, when humans claimed ownership of others. In addition, servants were often the poor or undereducated or uneducated for whom being a servant was actually an improvement from their previous circumstances. We see much of this in waitstaff or clerks or other “service industry” people. Many young people work in so-called service industries and their parents have been guilty of saying, “so you’ll know why you want a better job.” It sounds harsh, doesn’t it? On the other hand, in other cultures, servants or service industries are not so demeaned. In some European countries, for example, tipping a waiter is an insult. They are professionals and should be treated as such.

    This is incredibly important as we read the verses from Isaiah. Jacob/Israel is God’s servant. This is not intended to be a demeaning title, but one that bestows great honor. Only the Israelites had the gift of being in relationship with God. In our culture, this “gets to be a servant” has serious overtones that damage the God-honoring view of serving God as worship. Our culture of individuality along with our history of service jobs and slavery looks at this as condescension and power, rather than what it is…a blessed arrangement. This is God’s perspective and it is the long-held view of Israelite and (now) Jewish thought.

    When we read Jesus’ words to his disciples, we can see (especially in the light of Isaiah’s words) just how shocking Jesus’ words actually were. Jesus was switching up the “rules”. Jesus (the Son of God) surrendered his divinity to serve. Jesus served as teacher, example (for a life that honored God), and sacrifice. In his words to his disciples, he noted the problem Gentiles had with servants (sounds familiar). It was a power issue. Servants—those that serve others—are not to be dismissed due to their role or position. In fact, it would seem that servants are to actually be honored.

    We get that to some degree. As part of our church life, there are many who serve both as a calling and as an outpouring of worship (worship of God). John gives us some context that ties it all together. If we serve God, we follow God. Perhaps the next time you see servant or serve in the Scriptures, change it to follow or follower and see how your heart responds.

    1) What is your initial response to being a servant? Why? How do you think that response was formed?

    2) We often intellectually (i.e., unemotionally) assent or agree that God calls us to serve. Why, then, does the church lack servants? What can be done to change the culture?

    3) Have you ever been to a restaurant where the waitstaff were professionals? What was it like compared to places where the waitstaff are only in “starting” jobs?

  • Fearing or Embracing the End

    Joel 2:1–11, Mark 13:1–8, Mark 13:32–33 (read online ⧉)

    “We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ will come again; that we who are alive at His coming shall not precede them that are asleep in Christ Jesus; but that, if we are abiding in Him, we shall be caught up with the risen saints to meet the Lord in the air, so that we shall ever be with the Lord.” Article of Faith 15, 2017—2021 Manual of the Church of the Nazarene

    With the coming of a New Year, and with any year that has a strong potential for being tumultuous, there will be plenty of people who will loudly and proudly proclaim that the end is coming. They are right. The end is coming. They are wrong, however, when declaring when.

    If Jesus Christ, the Son of God doesn’t know when, then why would anyone dare to suggest they do?

    It’s not a new thing. Prophets such as Joel foretold a “Day of the Lord.” Generally, while it was often interpreted as some form of judgment, it was really a foretelling that God was coming in a supernatural way, and that the way of things would be changed.

    So, why do people focus on dates? The primary pieces appear to be fear and control. Generally, those that focus on the impending Day of the Lord also appear to be concerned about being rule-followers and obeyers of the Law. This is definitely part of the fear that many have been taught regarding God. Those that have been trained to think far more about God as judge and punisher than about God’s grace, love, and mercy.

    The other piece, control, is a little trickier, but overall, by putting a date on it, it seems to lose that “lack” of control, and maybe even some fear goes away. There is the constant human desire to quantify, qualify, and define everything, even that which God says is not for humankind to know.

    There will be those, especially in this election year, that will declare the end of the world if such-and-such is (re-)elected. There are those declaring the end of the world due to environmental catastrophes, economic breakdown, or many other things. We are not called to merely react, we are called to listen to and read God’s word. We are called to be more like Christ every day. We are called to wisely act with Godly discernment.

    1) When “your” side (regardless of issues/person) is “attacked” what is your initial response? What is your follow-up response?

    2) What is something you fear? Why? How do you deal with that fear?

    3) What is something you want to control? Can you? If you can’t, how do you deal with that desire to control?

  • Different Not Defeated

    Obadiah 11–17, Joel 2:12–19, Luke 21:12–19 (read online ⧉)

    The problem with being a follower of Jesus is, well, being a follower of Jesus. First, it makes you different. There’s step one. Being different. We all want to fit in, but as a follower of Jesus Christ, we aren’t supposed to just “fit in” to the world. Sometimes that may mean we don’t fit into the church or even our family. We don’t like that. It is uncomfortable.

    The next problem, or at least something that should be a problem, is that we aren’t liked for being followers of Christ. This doesn’t mean that we are to be unpleasant or cruel. We are to display holiness, which we ourselves struggle with and against. There will be trials and tribulations, or there should be. That has been one of the biggest pitfalls of being in the United States. We have lost most of the tension that our faith has with the world. We have become comfortable with the world, especially as expressed in the United States. This is why we should embrace our growing discomfort in the current culture. We are beginning to rediscover the cost of being a Christian. We certainly are not at the place where Christians are being targeted programmatically. While many of our beliefs are being challenged in the culture and government, we are still free to practice our faith without fear.

    What gets interesting is how much of the non- and anti-religious people are beginning to gloat with their apparent victories against the faith. History doesn’t support their victory laps. The faith was practiced behind closed doors for years and flourished. We are seeing it now in other countries. The greater the oppression, it seems, the greater the growth. Obadiah’s warning to the gloaters is that they ought to be careful in their gloating. They confused discipline and training for destruction and defeat. Sadly, so do many Christians.

    We are called to be in a healthy state of continuing repentance. It’s not as if God doesn’t already know that we messed something up. God is God. A state of ongoing repentance means that we do not think too much of ourselves and too little of others. This is how we keep ourselves from surrendering to defeat and allowing ourselves to embrace God’s discipline.

    The part that often confuses Christians and non-Christians alike is that if Jesus Christ is King, then why does all this bad stuff happen to anyone, let alone Christians? That is a great question, and if asked honestly, it is worth working through. That doesn’t mean we will have all the answers, nor does it mean we will have the right answers for everyone. We need to have the right answer to that question for ourselves. When we are confident in the power and strength and wisdom of the King of Kings the power of our answers is not the facts they convey but the Truth that is God.

    1) What do you think of the current culture compared to so-called church culture?

    2) Where do you see yourself not fitting into wider culture? Where do you see yourself not fitting into church culture? How does following Jesus affect either?

    3) What is your emotional response to apparent cultural victories over Christianity and even faith in general? What does that response tell you about yourself?

  • Broken Family; Broken Community

    Genesis 38:1–30, Deuteronomy 25:5–10, Ruth 4:1–10, Mark 12:18–27

    Migration has long been the story of humankind. People would move from place to place. The United States mythos includes a strong migratory component, from the theorized migration of First Nations peoples over the Bearing Land Bridge to the European migration to the Western Expansion, along with 2 Gold Rushes and the huge population shifts with the Great Depression and World War II. This creates a strong cultural influence on family dynamics and in the wider society. The Census Bureau estimates that from 2013-2017, 41.5% of the US population did not live in the same state (or country for foreign-born) as they were born in. How can this not impact our relationships with people, family, and place?

    Until the last 70 years, or so, when people moved from a different country to the US or even state-to-state, the family ties were broken or became perfunctory rather than profound. If you are one of those that have remained in the same state you were born in, it is still likely that your parents, or grandparents came from. Advances in transportation have allowed for some restoration of these familial ties, but this is more likely for middle- and upper-class people. With the advent of more and more connective technologies, there is greater potential to maintain these connections. It is too soon to tell if that will actually happen, though based on current evidence it doesn’t look likely.

    What does all of this have to do with our passages? They show a huge difference between ancient cultures and our own. That is part of the problem. In the first 3 passages from the Old Testament, the significance of the “kinsman redeemer” (an epithet we get from the book of Ruth) is lost in today’s culture. Put your siblings or your children into these stories as either kinsman redeemer or needing such, and gauge your responses. Most people have a negative response to it. We generally don’t get it. Many centuries later, this is still a question, as we can see with Sadducees’ question of Jesus.

    Connections. Community. Obligation. Sense of place. This should help us understand why we have such a problem with ekklēsia (ἐκκλησία). This Greek word is often translated as “church”. It originally meant a public gathering. Through the resilience of God’s Word, church as a gathered community became the dominant definition. Community.

    In many respects, the church became more of the ekklēsia during the Westward Expansion, as it was the only common gathering place. However, as transportation “improved” and the suburbs became a reality, community began to fade. Now, in the Pacific Northwest, even the ekklēsia isn’t really a community. In many churches, and some say ours, many people do not feel that they are part of the community. For some, the ekklēsia is a fancy word for an hour-long meeting on Sunday, that doesn’t really feed into the other 6 days of the week.

    1. What do you do to build community? To build community, do you think you should look to yourself, first? Or do you need to look to others?
    2. If you were to describe your ideal church community, what words would you use? If you were to describe your ideal community where you live, what words would you use? How are the words and intent both the same and different?

  • From the Heart

    Colossians 3:12–17

    οἰκτιρμοῦ (oiktirmou) :: mercy and concern with sensitivity and compassion

    χρηστότητα (chrēstotēta) :: giving to or providing for a person as an act of kindness

    ταπεινοφροσύνην (tapeinophrosynē) :: humble attitude and without arrogance

    πραΰτητα (prautēta) :: gentleness of attitude and behavior / not harsh with others

    μακροθυμίαν (makrothymian) :: emotional calm despite provocation or misfortune, and without complaint or irritation.

    So, why the Greek lesson? English misses so much. The one that triggered this particular Greek lesson is οἰκτιρμοῦ (oiktirmou). In the most used translations, this is only translated as compassion. A few translations (e.g., HCSB, ESV, and NASB) add heart in some form. This is an important qualifier.

    Compassion can be an act of obedience (with or without being a loving response). For many people, that is exactly what it is. Almsgiving (giving money and/or aid to the poor) is common in a number of religions. It is, for example, 1 of the 5 pillars of Islam (called Zakat). In the church, it is titled Compassionate Ministries (Church of the Nazarene organization). It is Blue Bucket Sundays at Generations Community Church. People give out of obligation, too. It’s not that obedience or obligation is bad, but what about the heart.

    Think of χρηστότητα (chrēstotēta). Giving to give is fine, sort of. If we were to give a poor family the best birthday party for the youngest child or feed the family for the month (and, based on the bills of some birthday parties, that isn’t a stretch), which would we choose? Both are giving as kindness, but which has the potential for the greatest kindness.

    Why is this important? It’s about our lives with one another. Our lives with one another are to exemplify love…and compassion of the heart.

    1)Taking the rest of the Greek, how do they each apply to your Christian walk, whether for yourself or for others?

    2) In Churches, compassion is often the mission of a ministry. That is not how we are called to live. How can you deepen the compassion in your Christian walk? How can you help others to deepen theirs?

  • Service of Response

    2 Kings 6:18–24, Romans 12:3–8, Colossians 2:8–23

    Service can take many forms. The story of Elisha and the Arameans is an interesting form of service. In this roundabout case, it was the service of peace. Elisha prayed for the blindness of the Arameans. Instead of taking advantage of the enemy’s blindness by killing them, he merely led them away. He then served them a feast and let them go. Normally, we would not consider this an act of service, yet that is exactly what it is. Acts of service may occur in many ways.

    Paul lists some of the ways that serving occurs in the church as each person is gifted by the Holy Spirit. This not an exhaustive list. Nor should it be used as a limiting list. In other words, just because you (or someone else) are unable to put an act of service into Paul’s list doesn’t mean it doesn’t fit and isn’t a Holy Spirit blessed act. One could put Paul’s list as a general classification, and be okay, as long as one recognizes that some acts don’t fit neatly into boxes.

    It might seem strange to pull this passage of Colossians into this conversation, however, there is a tendency to elevate acts of service, in particular, to something they are not. Acts of service should be an outpouring of our response to God, rather than an act which is supposed to get us something. Acts of service are not rules, but expressions. We express and connect.

    1) Have you ever had someone question what you “are doing for the kingdom”? How did that feel?

    2) Does what you are doing as an act of service fit into Paul’s list? If not, what “big picture” category would you put it in?

    3) Why is important for us to realize that an act of service is an expression of who we are?

  • How To Win

    Matthew 19:16–21, Matthew 21:28–32, Luke 13:22–30

    What must I do to win? In many respects, that question is the underlying thought in all 3 of these Gospel stories. The admiration of the rich and leaders is no new thing. Often people look at others and wonder, how do I get where they are? Often this is confused with envy or greed, however, there is also the human desire to win. Over the years academics and sociologists, recognizing this, champion a change of language, especially in children’s sports, “everyone’s a winner!” What ended up happening, though, was this became an empty thing. What academics and sociologists may have recognized but didn’t communicate wasn’t that the “participation trophy” made the child a winner, it was the people around them, especially their family. A lot of the kids who play sports are not winners as far as a championship, but leadership, exercise, teamwork? That’s a different story.

    Think of an American football team. There are a number of teams who just are not good this year. Yet, most of the athletes get up and go to work, and come back to play the game, and they don’t dwell on the last game lost. They look at the game to come. No matter how bad the team may be, there is one rule in sports, never assume you’re going to win or lose. In some ways, athletes take the narrow road. For them, taking the narrow road is what matters.

    In each of these stories, it is not just what do I have to do to win, it is also what is the least I have to do to win. That is certainly the point of the third story. Jesus’ response is more along the lines of, “you’re asking the wrong question. It’s not what I do; it’s who I love.” We cannot earn our way to salvation. Salvation was already won. Our response cannot be what must I do to earn it. Nor can our response be, what can I avoid doing in response to it.

    1) What does it look like to win for you? How would you or another know you won?

    2) If you had to earn your salvation, how far would you go? At what point would you think, it’s not worth it?

    3) What does it look like to lose for you? How would you respond to losing?