Tag: save

Pounding the Pavement

Luke 12:16–34

We often use the words of Jesus out of context. When we do so, we often lose their original meaning. “Don’t worry about what you eat…or what you will wear” is often used to say don’t worry about “worldly” things, except…it isn’t.

When we look at the rich man’s productive harvest, we get the greater idea of what Jesus is driving at. It isn’t wanting more or better; it is caring for one’s fellow. The successful harvest was going to be kept solely for him. He saw nothing wrong with not sharing the bounty.

For many years, we have heard of trickle-down economics. It is real. It is true. It still isn’t God’s way. Communism (the Communism of Tolstoy, Mao, Lenin, Castro, Kim, or others) of force used to “level” the playing field by removing all incentive and initiative, and crushing it isn’t God’s way either. God’s way is somewhere in between.

God’s way isn’t about what we can grasp, but what we give. The treasures we are to store up are hearts. Not literally, that would be disgusting. We are talking—as you already knew, of course—about the “spiritual heart” that is turned over to Jesus.

The bumper sticker that reads, “(S)He who dies with the most toys wins,” is a lie. Toys, as such, are useless trinkets that rust and decay. Souls (or spiritual hearts) are forever. We only get to bring souls with us into Heaven.

We are watching many of the rich (such as Bill Gates) begin to somewhat understand it, though they still miss the eternal part. This has happened many times over the years. Andrew Carnegie left a fantastic legacy of libraries all over the country, truly seeking to give “working class” children a better start than he got.

This is not to disparage their actions. Quite the contrary. There are the secular (non-religious) acts of Jesus lived out. They should be celebrated and honored.

They still don’t save souls. Often the question in the capital (state or nation) is, how much do we “spend” on a person? That can be welfare, grants, contracts, pensions, or well-deserved (and earned) veterans’ benefits. The government thinks in dollars per person.

God thinks in person per dollars. Sort of. God doesn’t care about the dollars. God cares about the souls of those who earn, give, save, horde, or even burn dollars. John the Revelator saw streets of Gold in his vision. As an ounce of Gold approaches $2000, it’s still pavement in Heaven.

God cares about ravens, birds, wildflowers, grass, and you. Gold is just to be walked on.

※Prayer※

Jesus, you have given us humanity to walk with. May we seek their good and their entrance into Heaven as we follow your will. Amen.

2020-10-18
The End of the Matter

The End of the Matter

9 September 2020

Jonah 4:1–11

How could you save them? Really? Look at them! If you’d left me alone they would have died, just like they should have!

Why Jonah is so upset? There is a lot of conjecture, but Jonah’s anger really does seem out of place. Perhaps he had something against the city of Nineveh. That, at least, would help to make a little more sense of the story.

Jonah could have been a hero! In fact, for bringing the message to Nineveh, he really was a hero. He was a very bitter one.

Our media is filled with stories of heroes. We like heroes. There’s a reason why Marvel movies have made such an impact. DC and Marvel comics dominate the comic book scene with their hero lines.

Jonah didn’t want to be a hero. He didn’t want to save the Ninevites. He did anyway, kicking and screaming.

We are called to serve the world, not just our favored people. Whether we’re talking about a particular nationality, ethnic group, gender group, sexuality group, or any other group, they all have the Imago Dei in them. The Imago Dei (or “image of God”) means that they are valued by God regardless of anything else.

If we are followers of God…if we love God…should we not value those that God values?

As followers of Jesus, we do not have the luxury to hate, despise, belittle, downplay, or dismiss others. God loved them so much that he died for them. We only have to talk to them and be kind to them.

We (most likely) are not Jonahs. We are simply people who have found redemption. The kindest thing we can do is share the redemption we have found.

※Prayer※

Lord, may we look at our fellow humans as you do…bearers of your image. Amen.

2020-09-08
Judge? Not Quite

John 3:11–21; John 12:44–50

There is an ongoing tension in being a follower of Jesus. The first is that Jesus came to save the world so that no one would perish.

On the other hand, without a doubt, there is some sort of division of those who have died into those who will be ushered into the throne room, and those that will not.

For Christians, we have an understanding that knowing Jesus as our savior is a great thing. Some hard things go along with it. Some of them are hard because our fallen human nature wants to do them.

Often, though, the harder part is what the world wants us to do.

The first thing is that the world does not wish to be judged. Even Jesus says that he is not the judge. Yet later in the Scriptures, he is. How do we discern that?

Jesus was not the judge while he walked the earth as the Messiah. Jesus was to bring the good news and the light. People would choose the light or the dark.

It is after it is all over that Jesus, as God, becomes judge. Even that isn’t so much condemnation, but the discernment of the heart of the person standing there. We may be “waiting” for judgment, yet Jesus is really looking at our hearts and peeling away the layers that we hide even from ourselves.

It is their own hearts when confronted at the end by God’s words, that will judge them. There might be a silver lining in that though.

We are often our harshest critics. Like those who asked, “when did we serve you,” there will be those who will be wondering exactly that.

Of course, there will be those that say, “we did serve you,” and will be condemned by their own hearts that they served for themselves not out of love.

This is hard. We want the easy way. We want to know that our friends and family who don’t know Jesus will be with us.

This also how we know that God loves us. He gave a way to come to him. He left the way open for us the leave him (no matter how much it breaks his heart).

※Prayer※

Lord, help us to not give up on those we love that don’t know you. Amen.

※Questions※

1) How does one improve one’s Christian walk without judgment?

2) How does work in comparison with discernment?

3) How do you evaluate your Christian walk?

2020-07-10
Rescuers & Yachts

Ezekiel 33:1–16; Matthew 14:22–34; Colossians 4:2–6 (read online ⧉)

When sailing ships were still the primary transportation across the oceans, John was lost overboard during a storm. Before his friends (the crew) could rescue him, they lost sight of him in the storm. By providence, there was another ship nearby that did see him and was able to rescue him. John was very grateful that the ship was nearby.

Many days later, John was eating at a local pub, and started telling his story of his rescue. One of his listeners spoke up after John’s tale and said that he, too, had a similar tale. Will, for that was his name, started talking to John, and they became friends.

More time passed. John and Will had gathered a number of people around them, and they formed a rescue society, whose purpose was to be the nearby boat to save people in the storms.

They saved many people over the years. Their society grew. They gathered more and more to share their camaraderie. Other people joined just to hear the tales of rescue. Then, as John, Will, and others got older, the warmth of the fire and camaraderie kept them indoors. Soon after, the gatherings became focused on boats. Their rescue society, over time, transformed from rescue society to yacht club.

Some have said that the true legacy of yacht clubs is not the wealth, but the rescues they forgot about.

“Making people fully functioning followers of Christ,” and “Encounter, Connect, Serve” are the 2 common phrases (or mission statements) at Generations Community church. Then there is the “framily” (friends who are like family), too. Your church (if it isn’t Generations) may have similar mission statements or values. Something along these lines is quite common among American churches.

It’s not that these are bad. They really should be second.

We have been rescued. Have we forgotten? We are called to be the ones who help to rescue those who are lost at sea. All too often, however, we are comfortable at the yacht club.

Framily is great. Encounter (-ing God), Connect (-ing with God and Others), Serve (the World) are good, too. Becoming fully functioning followers of Christ (sanctification) is great! However, if we only keep it to ourselves, is it really all that great?

The world doesn’t need more people hiding behind their walls. The world needs the light of Jesus Christ.

These few words cannot contain the responsibility that each of us must and should feel. This does not mean to be annoying or aggressive. It means be asking and praying for the right conversation to occur, and even many conversations over time. It means being grace-filled in our conversations with others, just as Jesus Christ poured grace over and into us.

Paul’s words tell to season our conversations with the salt that is Jesus Christ. Be the light.

2020-06-16
Unyielding Prayer

Psalm 39; 2 Samuel 12:13–23; Luke 18:1-8 (read online ⧉)

It’s hard to grasp why God would appear to condemn an innocent child to die. How it occurs is a mystery. We can infer that David understood that the child would die and that God would not save it. This would be in contrast to God sentencing a healthy child to death. In other words, what if the child had a definite birth defect and would die shortly after birth. God had the capability to save the child, yet the child died of natural causes, rather than supernatural causes. Yes, this isn’t much of a help. However, there are other circumstances around the child that ought to be considered, too.

David’s fathering left a lot to be desired. The drama surrounding his family (and his life) would do a soap opera proud. The poor child, a product of adultery and murder, would have had a horrible childhood, and probably an awful adulthood. Again, it doesn’t help much, but perhaps God was wise.

While this isn’t the focus of this devotional, it does lead into David’s prayer. David prayed, and prayed, and fasted, and prayed, and so on. He didn’t give up. The prophet Nathan had given David no hope. David still prayed. God (through Nathan) had made the pronouncement. David still prayed.

The lesson isn’t solely that David prayed for something he “knew” wasn’t going to happen. After not getting what he prayed for, David returned to “normal” life and worshiped God. His child died and he worshiped God. It’s not to say he didn’t mourn. We are long past the age of high infant mortality rates (though some still experience such momentous losses). Yet, any person that has lost a child understands the loss that David felt. It’s not that David was happy the child died. David knew that worshiping God was also important.

The persistent widow never gave up. This seemed a matter she would not give up until she died. That is persistent prayer. How long was she pursuing it? Jesus doesn’t say. It isn’t Jesus’ point. This was a woman who did not give up until she either received what she sought or death (hers or her adversary’s). Note that Jesus did not say she was right in what she was pursuing, though it is implied as the judge was unrighteous. This is important, too, as it helps us to think that God is righteous and we are not, so what would God do?

How many people, however, are not like David? They pray for something (whether minor or major) and it doesn’t happen. They do not (as the song goes) thank God for unanswered prayers. They get angry with God. It’s not that anger at God is a sin. It’s when that anger at God draws you out of fellowship with God or to a place of doubting God that problems come. In pain and misdirected anger, people make themselves an enemy of God.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, as you are patient with us, grant us mercy to be patient and enduring in our prayers. Jesus, may your words guide our hearts and prayers. Holy Spirit, live and breathe in us, that we may pray in ways and for things that bring glory and honor to God. Amen.

Questions

1) What is the longest you have prayed for something (or are praying for something)? If you have stopped praying for it, why? If you haven’t stopped praying for it, why?

2) Do you see yourself more like David, the widow, or something/one else?

3) What do you do say to those who are frustrated with their prayers not being answered?

2020-05-03
Calling Others

John 6:44–51; Acts 15:12–21; Romans 1:16–25 (read online ⧉)

One of the hardest things for any believer is the understanding that a loved one may not be with them in Heaven. Whether one believes in Dante’s 7 circles of Hell, the Hell of endless torment, or the Hell of eternal life “merely” not being in God’s presence, or the Hell that is interim before the Great Day of Judgement and one’s final decision toward life or annihilation (Revelation 20:11–15) it doesn’t matter insofar as not having that loved one with you in eternal life.

So, in avoidance of this hard truth, many people have developed a folk theology that there is no Hell and no eternal separation from God. It is not just Christianity that is experiencing it. In face, if one were to boil down the religions of reincarnation (mostly Buddhist and Hindu, but not exclusively), it’s that one is not good enough to not be incarnated so they get to start all over again. It’s not Hell in the Christian sense, but repeating lives until perfection can sound pretty close.

The hardest part for all of us is the tension that we walk. Most of us aren’t “old school” knocking on our neighbor’s doors and barging into their lives to “save” them. Sometimes we are made to feel guilty because we’re not. Yet, if your neighbors are automatically resistant to Christianity because of a lifestyle choice (for example) that they “know” God “hates”, only time will ever work through that. That being said, one has to be will to work through that time.

Family is often the hardest. Oddly enough, we won’t know all the pieces that brought a person to walk away from, ignore, or even hate Jesus and his church, and that’s even when they’re family. Sometimes, even more heart-wrenching is that some of the events that solidified our faith are the very ones that destroyed the faith of others. Shared experiences do not necessarily equal the same results (part of the whole nature versus nurture debate).

It “used to be” so much easier. We would recite a formula (as I look back on it, almost like a magic spell), and people would be saved. Or we’d follow a “road” in the Bible, that “proved” that Jesus was the Way, the Truth, and the Life. There is no perfect formula nor is there a perfect road that will finally bring people to Jesus, at least not one that works in every time and place, and for every person. The reality is that this often displays a human sinful flaw…our desire to be the hero…our desire to save…our desire to be Jesus.

Paul’s words seem rather harsh to our post-modern ears. Some people read them as, “They don’t believe in God? Then to Hell with them!” However, Paul is addressing a fundamental reality, “they” want proof? It’s all around them, and you (personally) will not change that perspective. This is when Jesus’ words of calling people to the Father make the most sense. The Truth is there. People’s hearts have to be open to see the Truth behind the truth. Only God does that.

Prayer

Father God, we know only you, through the sacrifice of your Son, Jesus, and the power of the Holy Spirit, call people to you. Only you can truly call. Help us to surrender that to you. Help us remember that it is not us. Guide us into the places and conversations that you want us to have, that is part of your calling of others to live in and with you. Amen.

Questions

1) What was the most recent conversation with a non-believer like regarding Jesus? When you look back on it, how does that make you feel?

2) Do you feel responsible for someone else’s decision to follow Jesus? How is it your responsibility? How is it not your responsibility?

3) Knowing that there is no perfect way to bring people to Jesus, how do you react to that? How does that make you feel in regards to the conversation in question 1?

2020-04-30
A Busy In Between

Psalm 30; Luke 11:29–32; 1 Corinthians 15:50–58; 1 Peter 3:18–22 (read online ⧉)

This is the day the LORD has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Psalm 118:24

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.
He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again.
He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
From the Apostle’s Creed

Easter has happened. Cries of, “He is Risen!” and “He is Risen, Indeed!” abounded. Yet, there is a mystery between death and resurrection. Holy Saturday was a day of uneasiness, grief, morning, and shock, but what about Jesus? Jesus was very busy, apparently.

Unlike those who had died and came back to life (such as, Lazarus), who knows what their time was after their death and before Jesus or the prophets brought them back to life. That is, curiously, not discussed in the Scriptures. Curiously, because such a death-defying moment must have had something share. There are thoughts, of course, that their mouths were sealed from talking about, or the experience was so profound it was impossible to explain (though that one would still mean stories). It could even be that they experienced no passage of time at all, so the whole question was moot.

Jesus, on the other hand, was certainly not quiet in that time. Peter describes him as (basically) bringing the Gospel to the dead and setting them free from the bondage of (sin and) death. No rest for Jesus!

One of the biggest arguments against Jesus and the Resurrection and the love of God is the whole concept that people were condemned to eternal separation from God before Jesus became incarnate, lived, died, buried, and resurrected. However, Peter tells us that this isn’t the case at all! The first thing Jesus did…go save some people. Jesus went to the dead people first.

Jesus said, “Now concerning the resurrection of the dead, haven’t you read what was spoken to you by God: I am the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob?, He is not the God of the dead, but of the living.” (Matthew 22:31–32)

Our concept of death is not God’s. Death overhangs our lives. The entirety of the COVID crisis is the fear of death of our bodies, and also all the little deaths (e.g., physical distancing) that appear to be going along with it. Death is not something that we can overcome. Only God can do that. What happens to us when we die is one thing, what Jesus did when he died is another thing completely. However, when God chooses to die for us, to liberate us from sin and death, where might the sting of death truly be?

Gracious God, give us wisdom and guidance as we try to understand the mysteries of who you are. Allow us, Lord, to hear of your love and mercy in your Word and apply these first to our minds as we seek to read and understand. Amen.

1) Paul’s death-defying words are inspiring, however, we have all felt the sting of death. Does Paul lie, do we misunderstand, or is there something else going on?

2) Do you think that Jesus’ words (Matthew 22:31–32) mean that people don’t really die, or what else might it mean?

3) What does it mean to you that Jesus first went to the dead, rather than his disciples and friends?

2020-04-16
HE IS RISEN!

Psalm 118:1–24; John 20:1–23; Colossians 3:1–12 (read online ⧉)

What a day!

Most of us have lost a loved one. It is hard. Sometimes we have been present when they died, sometimes we weren’t. How deep the ache depends on the relationship. Even with people we barely knew or lost touch with, there is still a feeling of loss when they die.

All of them were still in shock. The women had a (culturally assigned) task to do, and that was perfume Jesus’ body so that his body wouldn’t smell as bad as it decomposed (yes, it is that basic and gruesome). They had a task which, as hard as it was, provided something to do and help process their loss. The male disciples didn’t have that. They got to sit and stare at each other, with each one probably more at a loss than the others.

And then their whole world got turned upside down…again!

HE IS NOT HERE!

HE IS RISEN!

Shock. Joy. Shock. Disbelief.

And then…now what? What does this mean?

We often skip verses 19–23 on Easter. However, note the timing of the commissioning of the disciples. It’s still the Day of Resurrection. Still. The day is not yet over. Doing something is not in the future. It is now.

Peace, sent, receive, forgive. Not quite the normal order that we think of when it comes to the disciples being commissioned, and perhaps the order isn’t quite as important as when they were commissioned. Everything thing has just been turned upside down…go and do likewise!

This immediacy even translates later when Paul writes to the Colossians. He calls on them to forego their ways of old, because they are saved (and with Christ) now. It’s not that we wait to be saved, or wait to go tell others, when we have it down, when we’re perfect. There is no step beyond our salvation at which point we are free or commissioned to share about Jesus. At the point of our salvation, no later, are we to start talking about Jesus.

No matter how you feel about yourself, whether you are worthy of Christ (you aren’t), or whether he loves you fully (he does), go and talk about Jesus.

1) Why do you think Jesus commissioned the disciples so soon after his resurrection? In today’s world we often provide “space” to “process”. Jesus didn’t do that. What does that tell us?

2) Paul tells the Colossians that they are being renewed in knowledge according to the image of God they already have. Why is that an important concept and awareness for us?

3) Jesus was killed by Jew and Gentile. Jesus came to save both Jew and Gentile. If there really is a both/and, why did the church divide then, and why does it divide now?

2020-04-12
Palm Sunday
Psalm 31:9-16; Isaiah 40:4-8; John 12:12-16 (read online ⧉)

Jesus the wandering teacher comes to Jerusalem. The crowds are building around Jerusalem with Passover coming. Foreigners, wanderers, believers, and scoffers make for a very busy time in Jerusalem. What’s one more?

This one more has a crowd following him. This one more has a crowd in front of him. The crowd in front makes a scene and a mess. Palm branches thrown on the ground. Clothes tossed on the ground (a precious thing to those who had few).

Hosanna!

Hosanna is a word used for praise. Yet its Aramaic root was, “save us”! While this is praise and adoration, it is also the call for the descendent of David to take his rightful place.

Restore us!

The Jesus crowd talked about Lazarus. I’m sure the blind man told his story. Stories and gossip were flowing! Maybe this really is the Messiah! The Pharisees even seemed to have become fatalistic (momentarily), knowing there was nothing they could do.

Yet, Jesus still had teaching to do. Setting his face like flint? In other words, he would teach as the Father told him regardless of the conditions, whether the praise and adoration of now or the scorn soon to come.
1. When the flush/rush of first being saved went away, how did you respond? Did you set your face like flint?
2. Do you think there is a difference between, “save us,” and “restore us”? Which describes your Christian life/walk better?
2020-04-05
Expecting or Distracted?
Psalm 51:1-12; Habakkuk 3:2–13; John 12:1–11

It is so easy to be distracted from the important things in life. Some blame electronics. Others blame the media. Others blame no prayer in school. Others blame a culture that has walked away from its somewhat Christian-ish roots. There is nothing new under the sun when it comes to human behavior.

O Lord, I have heard of your renown,
and I stand in awe, O Lord, of your work.
In our own time revive it;
in our own time make it known;
in wrath may you remember mercy.

The opening stanza of Habakkuk’s song tells us that our disengagement from God is nothing new. Habakkuk calls us to be in awe of God. If you’ve ever had the Blue Angels or Thunderbirds fly over you in formation, you’ve had that sense of thunder through the entirety of your body. The jet wash passes over you. The sound overwhelms you. Plus the smell (which you may not like) of burnt jet fuel. There is an almost instinctual resonance to such an experience. Multnomah or Snoqualmie Falls with the spring runoff can do the same with the overwhelming volume of water, both noise and sheer amount.

All of that pales in comparison to the awe that we ought to feel when we contemplate God. As we wait for Christ’s return we, like Habakkuk, want God to make his glory undeniably known, and that his overwhelming wrath to overcome sin and evil, with a lot of mercy. While we may not be overwhelmed by God, there still appears to be that wiring inside of us that is looking for it with hopeful expectation.

Hopeful expectation.

The Jews, under Roman occupation, were waiting for something. Some didn’t know what they were waiting for. Some were waiting for a revolution. Some were waiting for a Messiah. Those waiting for a Messiah—a savior—had a hopeful expectation.

“You came forth to save your people, to save your anointed.” [Habakkuk 3:13]
1. Are you being truthful to yourself when say, “I’m waiting expectantly for Jesus to come back”?
  - If not, what is keeping you from seizing the truth that Jesus is coming back?
  - If so, what can you do to build up the expectation in others?
2. The power of Good Friday (the day Jesus was crucified), is followed by the blessing of the Resurrection. Yet the Resurrection is not the end. It is only the beginning. How is the Resurrection the beginning for you?
2020-03-27