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Devotion.al

Tag: Salvation

  • Beyond Hope

    Beyond Hope

    Luke:1:46b-55, James 5:7-10, Hebrews 12:1-2

    Mary’s song/poem of praise is often called the Magnificat in the Protestant/Roman Catholic tradition, or the Ode of the Theotokos (Bearer of God) in the Eastern Orthodox tradition. It is a joy-filled response to God by Mary that appears to be a response to Elizabeth’s joy-filled pronouncement of the Sprit-filled joy of John the Baptist (in utero, of all things) to hearing the voice of the Mother of God (Jesus).

    The double-meaning of Mary’s praise of “…my spirit rejoices in God my savior…” is the Jewish understanding of God (the Father) as the savior of their people, along side the coming salvation of Jew and Gentile through the death of Jesus (God the Son). There is the reality of God as past, present and future savior.

    The Jews knew many experiences of God as savior. The expectation for the coming Messiah was built upon an understanding of a God that was faithful and would fulfill promises made.

    As a Jew, James had the same Jewish understanding as pregnant Mary, and he had seen fulfillment of the Messiah’s coming and salvation. Now James is passing the hope on. It is the expectation based upon God’s faithfulness that the Messiah will come again and the hope that remains strong in the face of adversity.

    In Hebrews, the author notes that Jesus went to the cross joyfully, not because Jesus was looking forward to the pain, anguish, betrayal and death. Jesus was looking beyond the cross, beyond the grave, and even beyond the Resurrection. The author notes that Jesus’ prize was the throne of God. Though the author doesn’t say it here, the other prize was you and me before the throne of God, not in fear of judgement, but as Children of the Most High God.

    Elsewhere, the author of Hebrews notes that Jesus, our Savior, is continually interceding on our behalf and for all eternity. No matter how you feel about yourself being worthy, it doesn’t matter. As shirts and bumper stickers read, “I may not be perfect, but Jesus thinks I’m to die for.” That is our hope and joy.

    1) Are hope and joy the same thing?

    2) Why are having hope and joy important for a Christian?

    3) Why is it important to look at the Old Testament in regards to salvation?

    KD) Why does the author of Hebrews compare faith to running a race?

  • The Hope Beyond Us

    Psalm 38, Isaiah 32:10-20, Joel 2:12-13

    In regards to their salvation, many people struggle with two particular areas. The first is pride. Realizing that one’s salvation involves the surrendering of self, a person can stop right at the light. Holding onto one’s self (one’s pride) can keep a person from taking the final step of surrender into God’s salvation.

    The other area is sin. Often the struggle with sin goes hand-in-hand with pride. If we look around us at the world, however, we can see that the world’s definition of a “good” person might not meet God’s definition of “good.” You may have heard a phrase similar to, “good enough is the enemy of great,” usually used in the business world. Let’s take that with sin. Good enough could be “better than the other person” or “everybody’s doing it” or “no one else is getting hurt by it.” Great is God. If we’re “good enough” are we the enemy of God?

    It sounds harsh. David, according to the world, was “good enough.” He committed sins, just like other leaders. He killed people in war, just like others. He was, it seems, a weak parent. While he wasn’t an enemy of God, per se, at the end, his greatest project of building God’s temple was handed over to his son because of the blood he had shed.

    There are consequences of doing wrong. Our legal system takes care of some things. Our social circles take care of other things. At the end of our lives, God takes care of the heart things, as we stand before the throne.

    The passage in Isaiah takes us through the good enough, through the consequences, and to the hope. The passage in Joel calls on us to be honest with ourselves, and what we have done, all in the context of God’s grace, compassion, and love.

    To get to the best part of the story of ourselves, we need to dig into the ugly part of ourselves, hearts conflicted with pride and sin.

    1) Why do you think it is important to know the starting point of a journey?

    2) Does the starting point of a journey determine the end of the journey?

    3) Why do you think people judge/condemn others (or themselves) for the starting point of their journey, rather than focusing on getting to the right end?

    KD) What does it mean to you to be good enough? Why would you want to be better?

  • Hope Fulfilled and Hope to Come

    Hope Fulfilled and Hope to Come

    Psalm 25:1-10, Jeremiah 33:14-16, Luke 21:25-36

    “…for you are the God of my salvation…” Psalm 51:5

    “In those days and at that time, I will cause a Righteous Branch to sprout up for David, and he will administer justice and righteousness in the land.
    Jeremiah 33:15

    “…they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.”
    Luke 21:27

    Hope. It’s a big word for how small it looks. The Psalmist knows God is the source of his salvation, despite current circumstances. God’s words to Jeremiah provide for a hope that Jeremiah can guess he will not see, but they are still hope for the Israelites.

    Christmas is about hope. It is about Emmanuel, which means God with us. It is about God sending the Son down to us. Advent, however, is not just about Christmas, and the singular time that God became man. Advent also looks forward to the next time God returns…at the end of the story.

    Advent, therefore, is about both the hope fulfilled for both Israelites and the rest of the world, and it is about the hope to come when Jesus returns. Hope is to desire with expectation of obtainment or fulfillment. Hope was fulfilled when Jesus was born in a manger. We obtained hope through his death on the cross and his resurrection. Then there is the expectation of the return of Jesus…more hope!

    1/KD) Why is hope important?

    2) Why do we easily think of the hope of Christmas, but not of the hope of Jesus’ return?

    3/KD) What is your hope this Christmas?

    4/KD) What is your hope a year from now?