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Devotion.al

Tag: righteous

  • Just Praying

    1 Samuel 1:1–18, Luke 18:1–8, Matthew 6:5–15

    “…The prayer of a righteous person is very powerful in its effect.”—James 5:16

    As a gift, prayer is probably second only to salvation and reconciliation. The ability to talk to the Creator of the universe. The God who calls us children.

    Prayer can take many forms. While there may not be as many forms as there are people, there are still many forms which can be done in many combinations. Prayer is also changing. Prayer doesn’t just change us, but through our lives, our prayers change and how we pray changes.

    Hannah was thought to be drunk. However, her heartache was so acute that words failed her. In a culture where prayers were spoken aloud (especially in public at the Tabernacle), someone praying quietly (or silently) was abnormal, and (as Eli displayed) not particularly trusted. Hannah’s prayer was effective, however, along with even Eli’s blessing. The boy who came of it, Samuel, was the spiritual leader of Israel for many years.

    Hannah shows the heart’s prayer. Jesu talked about persistent prayer. Regardless, for example, of what you think of him now, Franklin Graham (the son of the famous evangelist Billy Graham) ran away from the faith of his father. He was the prodigal son. Ruth Graham (the wife of Billy Graham) was persistent in prayer for her son, Franklin. After many years, Franklin returned to the faith. She, like the widow in Jesus’ story, was persistent. However, unlike the unrighteous judge in the story, our prayers are heard by the righteous God. Ruth Graham incorporated her prayers for her son in her daily devotionals.

    Who says which form (devotionals or a poured out heart at a single annual festival) is better? There are many Christians who look to Jesus’ words and draw huge generalizations that Jesus does not make. For example, the Jesus prayer, “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner,” has been used for years. People condemn it as babble because it is used in repetition. However, these same people often use the Lord’s Prayer (a mere 2 verses later) as memorized prayer without meditating on the actual words and meaning. Which is right?

    1) What are your preferred methods to pray? Why do you think that is?

    2) Have you ever tried to pray a different way? Why? What was the spiritual difference?

    3) How is your prayer life?

  • Freedom From Earned

    Genesis 15:1–6, Romans 5:1–11, 1 John 1:5–2:2

    One of the ongoing struggles that people have is earning their salvation. They think they can, or that they must. This is what is often called “works” in Christian circles. Theologians have discussed what “works” is from a more philosophical perspective. Some have argued that Abraham completed a “work” when he believed. Others argue that belief is not a work as it is not an action (especially an action to receive something in return).

    Paul follows Abraham when he states that we (Christians) have been declared righteous because of our faith. Because of that, we have peace between us and God. However, it’s what follows this that starts to cause problems for many. People will wear the costume of endurance, character, and hope, often treating the costume as a way (still) to earn salvation, as if faith is not enough. The other “costume” problem is that we often think of ourselves as never having enough endurance, character or hope. We then conclude we don’t have faith. This is a significant trap. If we have no improvement in the simple things, how could we hope to improve in the harder areas…like sin.

    There is great freedom, if we accept in, in John’s words. There is a statement of fact: we have sinned. However, the forgiveness of our sins doesn’t rely on our effort (our works). It relies on Jesus’ sacrifice. We are to trust (i.e., have faith) that it is enough. “Works” as discipline help us train our minds and hearts away from wrong behavior. “Works” cannot save us.

    1) What good are works (yes, there is good)? What is bad with works?

    2) Why do you think it is bad to try to “earn” one’s salvation?

    3) Why do you think Paul echoed Abraham’s story? Do you think his audience connected the stories?

  • God’s Work Working

    Exodus 20:1–21, Exodus 32:1–19, Exodus 34:1–9

    The first “printing” of the 10 Commandments was wholly a God printing. God made the tablets. God wrote on the tablets. Imagine holding something like that in your hands. You witnessed yet another miraculous happening. Out of a mountain God created tablets, then God wrote on them.

    In a fit of (righteous) anger, Moses (unrighteously) broke the miraculous and holy tablets.
    God gives you something special, created in front of you…and you broke them.

    There is a transformation there. Moses transforms from leader (follow me) to shepherd (I lay down my life). This isn’t just about the failure of the Israelites, it is also about the transformation of Moses.

    God then does something…odd. Now, Moses is to make the tablets. God writes on them. God does talk about writing on hearts His law, and God calls our hearts stone. Does this mean the tablets are symbolic of our hearts and the Commandments symbolic of God’s Law? Probably not.

    What it is symbolic of is that instead of God doing it all again, God has Moses (humanity) put some sweat into it, and then does the true work. This is symbolic of how God does work through us. God chooses not to do it all. Instead, God chooses us to partner with Him. It is not because God needs us. It’s because we need God and because we have a need to be valued. God shows us that God values us by having us be part of God’s work.

    1) God wants YOU to work together with God to do God’s work. When you reflect on that, what are your thoughts?

    2) At times, God will take our bad decisions and doing something (later) that is positive. Other times, God doesn’t. Why do you think that is? How do you not get discouraged or troubled when God doesn’t transform negative to positive?

    3) God created us in God’s image. What does that mean to us when we think of doing God’s work here on earth?

  • Open and Closed

    Jeremiah 15:19–21, Mark 2:1–12, Matthew 11:20–24

    “One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation.” Romans 10:10 (CSB)
    “For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Romans 10:13 (CSB)

    Confession and repentance resulting in salvation is a constant theme in the Scriptures. As the nation of Israel would wander away from God, come back, wander away, and so on, there was a perceivable and constant ebb and flow in the story.

    Confession►Repentance►Salvation

    Jesus was not one to shy away from forgiving sins. Take this story of the paralytic. He seems to have deliberately chosen words that struck at the core of how confession, repentance, and salvation all tie together. Scripture does not say that the paralytic confessed and repented. However, by his friends putting him at his feet, the man was forgiven and healed. Even more interestingly, it appears it was the faith of the paralytic’s friends that resulted in healing and forgiveness.

    Yet, we come to Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum, there seems to be no grace. What happened? If the paralytic man didn’t have to follow “the recipe” why should have Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum? The additional context of Tyre and Sidon gives us an idea. They were cities that were known for their pride and arrogance. Jesus was saying that Chorazin and Bethsaida were more pride-filled and arrogant. Capernaum? Let’s see…Jesus did miracles, a number of them. Yet, Capernaum refused to repent even with the King of the Kingdom of God was right there in their midst! That’s the difference, open versus closed.

    1) Can you see the difference in your life between when you have been open and when you have been closed to God?

    2) What traits—other than pride and arrogance—indicate someone being closed to God?

    3) The people of Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum probably viewed themselves a righteous. How can we check that we have not become like them?

  • By Their Sin, They Are Known

    Genesis 18:16–33, Luke 13:1–5

    The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah is often used as an object lesson regarding the result of select sins. In today’s passage, we don’t address those sins, for they aren’t really the subject of today’s section in Genesis.

    What do you think of God and Abraham in this story? God debated whether to tell Abraham about the impending judgment of Sodom. God chose to inform Abraham. The reasoning probably had a lot to do with Abraham having family (Lot) in Sodom. What we should draw from this passage is that Abraham didn’t question the righteousness of God’s inquiry. In other words, Abraham knew bad stuff was happening in Sodom. Abraham did ask what the threshold was for enough righteous people needed to prevent destruction. Abraham believed that there had to be one. Note that God didn’t push back on Abraham, either. Abraham was very humble in his approach but kept asking until he was satisfied.

    There is something else to take into consideration. The gods of the area were not known for their self-control. The gods were expected to destroy anything and everything of a village, let’s say if one person offended them. In that context, Abraham gives us a picture of God that is different from the other gods that Abraham would have been familiar with.

    This same motif comes into play when Jesus talks about those who died at the Tower of Siloam. There is not some mean-hearted god who waits for a person (or people) to sin and then destroy them. That is not God at all! For some who brought this up to Jesus there were those that felt that those Galileans were the worst of sinners (for various political reasons), so deserved what they got. Jesus’ point was that everyone needs to repent, not just some people.

    1) The litany about righteous men in Sodom (or the lack thereof) can be heard in our culture, our churches, our families. How many people does it take for a family, church, or culture to be “okay” and not be condemned by those around it? How often have you condemned a group of people based on the behavior of one person?

    2) We often measure suffering. There are 2 basic measures. If the sufferer is Christian, there is a comparison of suffering to being attacked by the Adversary. If the sufferer is not Christian, there is a comparison of suffering to their lack of repentance or the amount of sin in their life. Have you done any of these comparisons? What makes either of these comparisons dangerous?

  • Deceptive Misery

    2 Corinthians 9:6–11, Matthew 6:16–18

    Misery loves company, so it is said. By misery, we aren’t talking sadness, grief, or mourning. We’re talking about the attitude of heart, soul, and mind that finds the worst in it all and revels in it.

    Sadly, there is often a strain of that in the church. “Look at what I gave up” or “I give to help those…” In holiness traditions, such as ours, that has long been a tendency. What is always amazing is how it is often dressed up in “doing the right thing” or “not being of the world” or “not putting ourselves in the way of temptation”. This might sound a bit snarky. There are a lot of people who honestly mean it. Yet there is a strong (and often loud) group where they want the attention for the activities they avoid, rather than living out the grace bestowed upon all believers by Jesus. They are often miserable.

    When we read Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 9:6–11, we (reasonably and rightfully) see wisdom regarding money and actions. Yet, the “right” actions (including giving money, time, and effort) need a basis of generosity and grace, not misery. Hearts focused on God’s immeasurable generosity and grace will be far more inclined toward sharing it with the world.

    Jesus’ words echo this when talking about those that add to their physical discomfort (hunger) and add a deliberately poor appearance. They were happy together in their misery. They took joy in their misery, using it as a source of pride, control, and influence.

    We can look around us and see many of the same tendencies in the secular world. It is not immune.

    1) As we have the wisdom of God in the scriptures, and the words of Jesus, how can we teach others (in and out of the church) to not live the life of self-righteous misery?

    2) What are your thoughts about how an attitude of grace and generosity can fulfill Paul’s words?

    3) How does fasting and giving in private add or subtract from an attitude of grace and generosity?

  • Checkmarks and Tasks

    Galatians 2:15–3:6, Philippians 1:20–26,

    The church in Galatia was struggling. Someone was pouring bad ideas and thoughts into them, causing them to walk away from the faith that Paul had taught them. The funny thing is that many of them probably didn’t know that they were being drawn away. It is easy, step-by-step, to be drawn away. The Galatians were being influenced to follow the path of works righteousness. In other words, it was by their (righteous, performed in compliance with the law) actions that saved them. It was no longer Jesus Christ.

    Often that is the trap of holiness. Somehow, people changed good suggestions, then turned them into rules, then made them an article of salvation. In other words, they had escaped the bondage of the world, then went right back to it.
    How many people that heard this letter (the letters were usually read publicly) and shook in anger? How DARE Paul speak to us in that way? How many others shook in disbelief, amazed and saddened that they had surrendered their freedom.

    Last week, Rachel Held Evans died at the age of 37. She was a progressive Christian that challenged many evangelicals. She made many very angry, so angry one could say they cursed her. Others thought on her words, trusted her heart, and listened. That doesn’t mean she changed many minds. While that may have been her intent, it was the fact that she caused evangelicals to question and converse that made the biggest difference. Of course, there will always be those who become more rigid when challenged. There will also be those who become more grace filled when challenged, as they hear the heart and pain of others. Evans like many other progressives find their calling in challenging their perception of the status quo, and the church should be grateful.

    Not that Evans is Paul, but that we are challenged to think. Our faith isn’t one of checkmarks and tasks (salvation by works), it is one of relationship and love. Paul was happy to be alive on Earth because he saw it as his duty to challenge and encourage the church to be the church. In his letter to the Philippians, Paul wants to remain (rather than go home to Jesus) because he is watching them grow in their faith.

    1) Growth and challenge. Why is it that when we are challenged, we grow? How how you see in work, life, and faith?

    2) The church often resists being challenged, yet hindsight of history shows us that is where growth occurs. Why do we fight being challenged, especially if we know we will likely grow as a result?

    3) Progressive and Conservative Christianity both need to learn from each other. In so doing, they can show the world that opposites can work together for the common good. Thinking of your friends and family, how can you be one that learns from others and show that as the way to live?

  • All To Be Reconciled

    Genesis 4:1–17, Ezekiel 33:10–20

    Cain is often portrayed as the human embodiment of evil. In popular media, he’s the ultimate bad guy. Which makes sense. Cain invented murder. Yet, Cain lived. Later, the rules would be set, he would be dead according to the penalties, but for this time and age, he lived. What about the “mark” of Cain? Some people have drawn from Revelation what that symbol could look like. It must have been pretty significant for it to be instantly recognized. We focus on a lot of that, but perhaps we ought to focus on something slightly different. God’s grace.

    Where is God’s grace in this? Cain’s protection. Cain being able to, in some way, move on with his life. Cain was able to have a family, and even began to be settled. This not the story of a man on the run, but the story of a man who did a horrible wrong, but was yet a recipient of God’s grace and protection.
    We don’t know the story behind the story. Was Cain’s relationship with God reconciled? The Bible doesn’t say. John, Jude, and the author of Hebrews don’t have much confidence in Cain’s rehabilitation, but nothing is impossible with God.

    The reason this matters is summed up in the words of Ezekiel. God doesn’t want anyone to not be reconciled. Bad men become righteous. Just like Adam and Eve, however, good can become bad because of a choice made. We forever are stuck with the consequences of the choices we have made. However, those choices do no prevent us from approaching God.

    1) What are some of the worst choices you ever made? How did they affect your relationships with others and your relationship with God?

    2) Do you think it is possible (regardless of likely) that God showed Cain grace? Why or why note?

    3) Thinking of Ezekiel’s words, what is the flip (or possibly negative) side of God’s grace?

  • God’s Good Life

    John 14:15–21, John 15:26–16:11

    There are two types of “good life.” There is the world’s version of the good life. There is God’s version of the good life. In some ways, they overlap, but let’s be honest with ourselves, we want them to overlap far more than they do. Some believe that being in a post-Christian world is actually harder than the pre-Christian world that the disciples and early church were in. Much of that is the culture’s assumptions about churches, church people, and Christians. Sadly, some of their assumptions are correct, especially superficially. The world’s good life is full of good (even great) people. Everyone can be good, except Christians, and an ever increasing list of people. Now, that seems a bit harsh. However, the list of new “sins” of the world grows increasingly long. People who were on top of the righteous have now found themselves at the bottom, for the “sins” have changed. We can see more than a few people who have experienced this looking around wondering what has happened. Yet, there is a claim for a good life. Happiness is the key.

    Happiness. A fleeting feeling is proof of the good life. As anxiety and depression soar, and people buy the latest greatest thing (that other not-so-new thing was last week) leading to a greater amount of waste. In fact, the world’s good life doesn’t lead to true good life, but a treadmill that goes nowhere.

    This is why Jesus made the promise he did to his disciples (and thus to us). Jesus understood that the world would constantly pull his disciples away from him, tempting them with “the good life.” The Counselor. The Spirit of Truth. That Jesus understood what we needed, should give us hope that God does indeed understand us. He also understood that emotionally we often feel alone and separated from not just God, but from others, too. Thus, Jesus reminds us that we are not orphans.

    The Spirit—the Counselor—while not leaving us orphans, also testifies to the Truth. This is not the world’s truth. It is God’s Truth. This is where the good life begins.

    1) If we know that God has the True good life, why we do we often chase after the world’s good life?
    2) Why is happiness confused with the good life?

    3) Knowing that you are not an orphan, no matter what the world tells us, would seem to be a key feature of the good life. When was the last time you share this key?

  • Holy Tuesday

    Psalm 89:19–37, Isaiah 52:13–53:3, John 12:20-43

    Imagine all the rumors you were hearing about Jesus, who had dared to ride into Jerusalem as a king. There were Greeks that were ever looking for Jesus. For some that just proved Jesus was not really the Messiah or a righteous man. To others, it added something else to the mystery that was this Jesus. Many years later, some people took the Gentile (e.g., the Greeks) interest in Jesus as a symbol that now it was time because even non-Jews were now interested in the Messiah. The way John approached it, however, the Greek interest does seem to be some sort of trigger. In general terms, Jesus talks about death and how that leads to new life. That new life would not be just for one, but for many. Jesus then says words that prefigure the words in the Garden of Gethsemane regarding the coming cross.

    That God speaks from the clouds in response to Jesus, as Jesus noted, was not for his sake, but for the sake of the people around him. This would have included his disciples. The cross was both torture and humiliation, plus death. From a Jewish or even Roman perspective, there is no way that there was any glory—or could possibly any glory—with the cross. It was inconceivable.

    In response, his listeners quote Psalm 89 to Jesus regarding the eternal Messiah. Are they asking for scriptural proof, or are they looking for the scriptural veto? Jesus gives a quick encouragement about staying in the light and then disappears. The Light of the World disappeared. Another action that prefigured an event (the tomb) that was to come. John quotes Isaiah to then show the hardness of heart of the people who surrounded Jesus. As much as we can carry the light into the world, we should. We just need to keep in mind that we are not Jesus. People who could put their hand out and touch Jesus did not believe in him and even many of those that did chose this life over the promise.

    1) Every day we often have to choose between the promise and this life. In what areas of your life are you struggling with this?

    2) Many times we can shake our heads at those who could see Jesus, but still denied him. We think ourselves unable to do that. However, do you really see the image of God in everyone you meet?

    3) Why is Jesus’ parable of the wheat important? What does it tell you about your legacy?