Tag: Scriptures

Places for Scripture
Psalm 93; Deuteronomy 11:18–21; Mark 16:19–20

“Place these words…on your heart” and then fast forward to “…they went out and proclaimed the message everywhere.”One of the little truths about this passage in Deuteronomy is the very simple tool given that many turned into a soulless rule or merely room decor. God directed that God’s word be placed everywhere in our lives, even on door frames! You can go to places like Michael’s and Hobby Lobby and find the Scriptures available for room decor. You can do it simply with a piece of paper and tape.

Honestly, I used to disparage the use of Scripture as decor, mostly because I saw it in too many homes and places that seemed anything but filled with God’s love. However, it is certainly not fair to God’s Word that I should be that way. As we read, it’s actually bad that I thought that way. I have found peace and redemptive actions in simply reading a verse of Scripture or that which reminds me of the Scriptures as I walk around my home.

At my paying job (purchasing manager in manufacturing), I’ve been told that my workspace is too white (white walls, no decor). Over the last few days (before this devotion), I’ve been thinking that I need some of the Scriptures in my work life. Will it be visible? Yes. Will it be there for others to see? If they wish. I’m going to put it there for me so that I remember—when that really irritating person walks through my door for the umpteenth time that day—whose I am, and who I am to reflect. It won’t be there to provide the appearance of a warm and cozy home. It is for me to remember.

Remember. The whole point of Moses’ directive is so that the Israelites (and we) remember. For a number of years, I heard the same passage from 1 John 1 read at the beginning of every Sunday church service as part of the opening corporate confession of sin. Then we left that church tradition, we stopped hearing it. I can still quote it. It gives me great peace, too, and gives direction to give grace to others. It’s a whopping four verses.

So, if you remember and share the words, what about the signs? That is a great question! How do you know a Christian? How they speak? How they dress? How they spend? How they give? How they receive? Yes, to all of these and more! It’s not very easy. That is one of the pitfalls of our post-Enlightenment world. The world, and we, want an easy answer to determine who is in and who is out.

Except, as we read the Scriptures when can that when we “know” who is in and who is out we stop loving God and loving others…which may mean we’re out.

※Reflection※
- What ways are you open to bring the Scriptures regularly into your life? What ways are you currently using? Which ones are you thinking about adding?
- What are some reasons that we should have some of the Scriptures deep within us as we share the Gospel of Jesus?
※Prayer※

Holy Spirit, quicken our hearts and mind to want more of you and the Word inside of us, that we may be emboldened and encouraged to go into the world seeking to transform it by your love coming through us. Amen.
2021-05-12
Messianic or Messiah
Psalm 98; 1 John 5:1–6; John 15:9–17

When we read the Scriptures, as has been written often in these devotions, we bring in our understanding of things. Those who have been indoctrinated (in a good way) into the faith and theology of orthodox Christianity will read into the Scriptures that which they have been taught. The opening verse in today’s reading from 1 John is a good example.

As we read it, we have a particular understanding of what the “Christ” means. Theologians and Biblical scholars will often differentiate between messianic and Messiah for this very reason. It is important for us to understand, too, because it gives us insights into the perspectives of the other 2 Abrahamic religions (Judaism and Islam) and also remind us of how revolutionary the resulting Christian orthodox stance was.

Prior to the birth of Jesus, Judaism had evolved its understanding of messiah. Within messianic narratives, one person may not fulfill all the aspects of a messiah. A messianic figure could be solely for social reform or religious reform or solely for governmental reform. Christian scholars and theologians will often simplify it to Prophet, Priest, King. The evolution of messianic (any combination of the 3) to Messiah (all 3) is one of those changes that occurred between the time of the book of Malachi to the advent of John the Baptist (around 400 years).In Luke’s birth narrative, we read about where “the” Messiah would be born. This is the written acknowledgment that Judaism had become Messiah-oriented, more than messianic-oriented. Of course, Judaism (as a whole) does not recognize Jesus as the Messiah.

Islam (and even some in Judaism) looks at Jesus as a messianic figure. It gets a little messy from there as the 3 main branches of Islam have different outlooks from there and the 2 recognizable branches (Shia and Sunni) have their own interpretations within them, too.

Even in the modern era, the messianic figure exists. Stalin, Mussolini, Hitler, FD Roosevelt, Mao Zedong, Castro, Reagan, Putin, Obama, Trump, Biden all had (have) messianic attributes associated with them. It’s jarring to see these names tied together, especially for so-called Christian countries (and only one of these countries didn’t have Christian cultural roots). It is arguable that John’s statement about the Messiah is even more true today than it has ever been before!

Where we “hold” Jesus in our lives is critical to our Christian walk, or whether we are a Christian at all! How we view Jesus, as Messiah or merely messianic, critically feeds into this as well.

If Jesus is merely messianic, then while his words hold significance, they aren’t particularly life-changing. If Jesus is Messiah, his words are life- and orientation-changing.

One of the primary orientation changes is how we love. We often talk about a God of love, but that is so very much removed from us. If he is the Messiah, Jesus’ words telling us to love each other (and the context is within community), then we really ought to be doing that.

There is, so it seems, a division between the love within the community (sacrifice), and the love of neighbor (mercy). It may all be a hairbreadth’s difference, it may be a mile. Regardless, there should be a change in us.

※Reflection※
- Where have you looked at people or things as messianic? What makes something or someone messianic?
- What are other reasons that we need to differentiate between the Messiah and messianic?
※Prayer※

Lord, you are the Christ, Messiah, Savior. As such you call upon us to live changed lives. Empower us, Holy Spirit, to do exactly that. Amen.
2021-05-09
And Now What?

Psalm 98; Isaiah 42:5–9; Acts 10:34–43

It is not, by far, unique to American Christianity to be tied to a country. God fought for England, Scotland, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Russia, and plenty of other places supposedly, as leaders quickly pulled God in their plans of military conquest (or defense). God, and in particular the brand (i.e., Roman Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox, etc.), was used to support the war (often against other Christians, sadly).

If historians and church critics were honest and while the church often was part of it, most of it was really about politics, power, jealousy, and wealth (maybe some honor). The Israelites were set apart as a nation of God-followers. They were unique as being the nation of God and the People of God. No human could take that away from them. It remained part of their self-identity even as they wandered from God.

Isaiah’s call was transformed from that of an Israelite to the Israelites, to that of an Israelite to the world. That this was in the midst of relocation, the threat of deportation, and the reality of being dominated makes it especially powerful. When one is assaulted, one tends to turn inward. If one turns outward, it is usually on the attack. Isaiah reached outward (in a foreshadowing of Jesus Christ) to restore, reconcile, and call the world to God.

Thus, Peter’s words are really nothing more than the conclusion to the stage that was set with Isaiah all the way back to Abraham. God is for the world to be reconciled to God!

The message of Christ—the message of God—seems to have been lost by the church, who is called to be the messenger, ambassador, and bride of God.

Many of us have not learned the basics of our faith. Many of us have not learned how to speak well of our faith. Many of us have not learned how to be brave in the face of those who do not believe.

We are called to reflect and respond. What God has called us to do, we should be doing, even though we may be very bad at it. While God will praise the results, God cherishes the hearts the pursues the aim of God…reconciliation of the world to the one who created it.

※Reflection※

What are your thoughts about how you will be responding and learning to respond to God’s call on your life?

※Prayer※

Jesus, we are called by your title—Christ. Help us to be called by your mission, that we bring the world to your embrace. Amen.

2021-05-07
Follow Through The Veil
Psalm 98; Isaiah 49:5–6; Acts 10:1–34

It’s not enough to restore a backslidden, rebellious, unloving, non-grace-filled, unjust people who either don’t acknowledge or hate God. On top of that, the whole world that doesn’t know God is going to look to you for the light of God. No pressure.

Or how about a valorous warrior, who lead 80 soldiers from the front, a Gentile (dirty to Jews) who followed the Jewish (dirty to Greeks) faith. A person used to pressure was visited by an angel. Military? Yes. Politics? Probably. Messenger of God?

Or how about a simple fisherman, who met this wandering carpenter, followed him, befriended him, deserted him, experience a transformative experience of his friend into the Son of God (and resurrected to boot), going from a simple follower to a leader of leaders of a new faith tradition, and then receive a vision overturning his entire dietary understanding and eventually his understanding of who Jesus died for (everyone).

You and I are not Isaiah, Cornelius, or Peter. We are not going to be written of in the Scriptures (they’re closed). Our dreams and visions may be remembered by the internet and perhaps friends and family. No one else. Not like Isaiah.

Some followers of Jesus may turn out to be very much like Cornelius, faith-filled followers of Jesus (eventually in Cornelius’ state) who are also valorous soldiers. However, having a personal meeting with an angle and meeting someone greater than any pope, archbishop, bishop? Probably not.

While most of us can see aspects of ourselves in Peter, his life is beyond ours. He physically walked with Jesus. He learned directly from Jesus. He met Jesus after the resurrection (embodied). Not going to measure up to that.

We’re not called to that. Maybe. What we are called to is a better and deeper relationship with God through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit.

If you’ve been baptized, it is hoped that you understood (if you were an adult) or were taught (if baptized as an infant or child) that baptism is God’s seal on you (from one perspective) and a public tying of you to the faith. Baptism is only supposed to be at the beginning of the journey. It isn’t the end.

As we look at Peter’s life, he was transformed day by day. He did not remain the same. That is truly one we can be like Peter.

※Reflection※
- How have you changed since you first followed Jesus?
- What is the biggest part of you changing in submission to Jesus now?
※Prayer※

Lord, change us into the followers you see us to be, rather than the ones we are. Amen.
2021-05-06
Junk Food Fast
Psalm 80; Isaiah 5:1–7; Galatians 5:16–26

Both Psalm 80 and the passage from Isaiah 5 are not warmhearted Scriptures. They both address the reality that the Israelites have not been faithful to God.

Other places in the Scriptures note that the Israelites were faithful in their actions, or at least they attempted to complete the requirements of the Law. Those same places, however, observed that while the actions were “per the book”, their hearts were far away from the heart of the Law (true purpose). It could be said that they were further from the heart of the Law than they were from their relationship to God, and that’s saying something.

As I am looking to sending my last 2 kids to college this fall, I couldn’t help but reflect on my own college freshman year. One of the first things I thought of was the food (like any teenage male). Yes, it was cafeteria food, but like most male teenagers it was quantity, not quality. One of my favorite foods was corn dogs, which I still like. The quantity I would eat at one sitting hurts my stomach at this point. One or two corn dogs a month wouldn’t be horrible, but it wasn’t one or two, and it wasn’t once a month.

Corn dogs are, bluntly, junk food. They’re tasty (to me, at least). Hot dogs can be okay for you (really, they’re just a sausage). Cornbread isn’t too bad (depending). The combination, especially deep-fried, is not healthy. On the other hand, if one were to only eat a particular food, no matter how healthy it might be on its own, our bodies would break down, as no food has all the nutrients that our bodies need.

While misunderstanding God’s intent is one thing, but doing wrong is something different. Paul’s message to Galatians talks about the spiritual “junk food” that they were consuming. What we have been taught to think of as sins (understandably) were the ways of the surrounding culture.

They were part of the surrounding culture and thus were a norm. As these practices were part of the culture, learning to understand that they were not part of a God-honoring life would require self-sacrifice and discipline. If they were to continue their cultural practices, their spiritual bodies would become fatally obese.

G.K. Chesterton wrote, “the Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and left untried.”

For the Galatians, dieting from their cultural norms and expectations would have been found very difficult, and probably a little hard to explain to their friends and family. For American Christians, so much of our culture has what we think are Christian trappings, but is actually the junk food of the American culture. Figuring out what is healthy and what is not in our culture for the Christian life is the obligation of the Christian community.

Without question, though, there is a need for significant spiritual dietary changes.

※Reflection※
- What is one thing you know is an American Christian “thing”, but isn’t present among Christians in other countries?
- How are you evaluating the culture around you and its influence on your walk with Christ?
- Are you rightly evaluating the cultural pieces you agree with and disagree with?
※Prayer※

Lord, we need the Holy Spirit to change our spiritual diet. Help us, in community, to work out what is and isn’t of you. Amen.
2021-05-03
A Matter of Age
Psalm 95; 1 Samuel 16:1–13; 1 Peter 5:1–5

Are you old, or are you young? It might seem to be an easy answer. Even with twins (or other multiples), there is always one who is older. Except, that far too often, we focus on chronological, rather than contextual age.

There are stories after stories in the Scriptures where youth isn’t the issue, but rather faithfulness to God. To be sure, some of the most faithful showed their faithfulness from their youth (Samuel and David, for example).

David and Samuel were both young when God called them to amazing things. What we often don’t discuss is that these two, for example, were surrounded by those older than themselves. Whether it was David’s family (or later counselors) or the priests and seers around Samuel, there was bound to be someone older who spoke into their lives. We know that even Eli (Samuel’s mentor) spoke into Samuel’s life in a God-filled way, despite having fallen away from God in other ways.

While Peter’s letter is generally assumed to be by chronological age, there is another perspective. While age was still a factor, in particular, it was age of faith. Peter’s calling to the leaders was as leader, elder, and age. There is something to be said about long and deep experience in the faith (rather than a short time or any length of time in shallow faith).

This gets particularly interesting for us in regards to people who are older who then come to faith. There are many situations where a person comes to saving faith in Jesus Christ as an adult. Logically, we can understand that they may be less wise and educated in the faith than a (for example) teenager that came to faith as a child, but a life of experience can make a great change, too.

It is a both/and situation. It is both chronological age (and theoretically experience in the world) and duration of faith. There is also the factor of wisdom.

In the Church of the Nazarene, we hold baptism and moral responsibility at the point of accountability. Just like the preceding words regarding elders of age and faith, there is a lot of discernment and grace that goes into it. We often don’t really know who is accountable according to God. We often just have to guess.

This is the same as who is “the elder” of the church. It isn’t only a title. It is also a way of being. You may find that others discern that you have greater spiritual wisdom than you think you should (by the grace of God). On the other hand, you find yourself thinking yourself much more of a elder than everyone else finds you.

※Reflection※
- To whom might you be a spiritual elder? Why might that be?
- Who is a spiritual elder to you? Why?
- What makes someone a spiritual elder?
※Prayer※

Lord, may the Holy Spirit guide us into all Truth, including the truth of ourselves, so that we look for spiritual elders and so that we may become God-honoring spiritual elders to others. Amen.
2021-04-26
Go and (p)Reach
Psalm 4; Luke 24:36b-48; Acts 3:12-19; 1 John 3:1-7

The disciples are still struggling with the Resurrection. You’d think they’d have accustomed themselves to Jesus being alive, but they were obviously still struggling. As part of this last appearance, Jesus explained the Scriptures and His place in them. This is not the first time he did this after the Resurrection.

This time, though, it comes with a command, to preach the Resurrection and a change of heart and life for the forgiveness of sin. This mission doesn’t start immediately. It has to wait until the heavenly power comes (the Holy Spirit at Pentecost).

Waiting in Jerusalem, however, does not mean being inactive. Peter’s healing of the lame man (Acts 3:1-10) opened the door (so to speak) to begin the mission. Peter tells his listeners what it is all about, “But this is how God fulfilled what he foretold through all the prophets: that his Christ would suffer. Change your hearts and lives! Turn back to God so that your sins may be wiped away.” (Acts 3:18-19, CEB)Much later, John wrote that we have hope in Jesus as we (progressively) purify ourselves (so as to become more Christ-like). This reflects the changing of hearts that Jesus and Peter made known.

Jesus’ and Peter’s declarations could also be restated as it is in Matthew 28:19–20, “…go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything that I’ve commanded you…” [CEB]While the passage in Matthew could be interpreted as only applying to the disciples, the passage from Luke cannot be (without serious contortions). The changed heart is also consistent across the Scriptures.

We are all called to tell the world about Jesus, sin, redemption, and the place of changed hearts in all of that. In the current culture, we are having to learn how to do this well. Sadly, we are in the midst of getting rid of the baggage that we’ve been carrying, and that is painfully difficult. So much so, that most of us no longer have effective tools or methods to reach (and “preach to”) others.

In all likelihood, the Western Church will have to relearn how to live in a true and deep community. We have all become accustomed to the shallow community of the Western Church, not the Christian fellowship as described in the Scriptures.

This does not excuse any of us from looking for opportunities to talk about the grace of Jesus Christ and the change in our hearts. Perhaps, rather than excuse it, it should drive us more.

※Reflection※
- Are you doing anything that resembles telling the world about Jesus in the way Jesus talks about in Luke?
  - If you are, it going?
  - If you aren’t, why not?
- In regard to telling the world, is it your responsibility or someone else’?
※Prayer※

Almighty God, you gave your only Son to be for us both a sacrifice for sin and an example of godly living: Give us grace thankfully to receive his inestimable benefits, and daily to follow the blessed steps of his most holy life; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. [Third Sunday of Easter Collect, Book of Common Prayer 2019]
2021-04-18
We Ought To Love
Psalm 4; Luke 22:24–30; Acts 3:1–10

The argument that occurred between the disciples is a warning to us all. This is the worldly and fallen condition of man. The worldly/fallen person thinks of self (and even family can be self) above others.

There is often a belief that life, money, success, are all part of a zero-sum game. In other words, for one to get more, another will get less. God’s ways are not the same, yet we often apply this thinking to our lives, even how we “walk out” our Christian life.

Many of the discussions and even arguments that are happening even among Christians is based upon “who wins” even while it is dressed up in caring for others, the country, the faith, the world, etcetera. As you read that you may have said to yourself, “God won!” Yes, while that certainly was and remains true. We often don’t act that way.

As we walk in the world, how we treat others (and even ourselves) is very much part of our witness to who Jesus Christ is. There is always the tension within the Scriptures of what the God-ly direction is as they can change depending on context. There is, however, absolutely no denial of the motivation of all…self-sacrificing love.

Self-sacrificing love is not a bottomless well, nor is blind endless sacrifice holy. Death-to-self needs to be embraced, as uncomfortable as it often is. If our first reflection on issues was, “what is the best way to give myself in love,” that would be huge. Yes, it certainly can be tempered by discernment. It’s just been that too much of our language is how we can get the “other” to do something that makes us feel better.

Peter couldn’t really do much for the beggar financially. He could have just walked on and said nothing. He could have just said that he had nothing and moved on. Maybe even John wouldn’t have said anything had they passed by. Then the man would not have been healed.

※Reflection※
- What reasons may Peter have had to do what he did?
- How might Peter’s response alter our response to the world?
- If there isn’t a winner or loser, will that change how you interact with others or think about others?
- How does God’s love influence your thinking?
※Prayer※

Lord, guide our walk in the world so that we are worthy bearers of your light. Amen.
2021-04-17
God’s Earthly Love
Psalm 118:1–2, 14–24; Song of Solomon 3:1–11

If there ever was a book of the Bible that was inappropriate for younger audiences it would be the Song of Solomon (or the Song of Songs). In some traditions, the Song of Solomon is not permitted to be read until adulthood. That should tell you something, indeed.

It definitely dances around avoiding certain specifics. On the other hand, it is quite open about the intimacy between the male and female main characters.

This is one of those books that both Jewish and Christian interpreters actually interpret mostly the same thing…this is about the intimacy between God and God’s people. Some people struggle with this (self included). It seems a little odd to think of our relationship with God in this manner.

The gift that both Jewish and Christian interpreters think the same allows us to strip (pun intended) us of our American Puritanism. American Puritanism isn’t all bad, but when it conflicts with the plain reading and even allegorical reading of the Scriptures, it needs to be confronted and removed. Wrestling with the Scriptures is not a bad thing. Often we Christians look at the words of Jesus as challenging and life-changing (they are). We will dismiss (unwisely) the books that discuss the violent mess that birthed the Promised Land. We will also avoid the books of Law and Purity, even though they provide insight into the heart of God once we look beyond the words of the Law.

What does this have to do with the Song of Solomon? A lot. The Jews view this book as the love story of God for his people (the Jews). Christians view it as the love story of Jesus and his bride (the church). The intimacy of husband and wife should be embraced as the view of God’s love for us. We, on the other hand, seem to be more of the wandering away type.

What would our Christian lives be like if this described us…
```
     I will rise now
          and go all around the city,
          through the streets and the squares.
     I will look for the one whom I love
          with all my heart…
     I held on to him
          and now I won’t let him go,
```
On the Evangelical side, we’ve largely dismissed a whole group of people whose life is defined by being “married” to God, the monks, and (more often) nuns of the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches. It seems that we evangelicals are finally maturing to the point where we are able to honor those who walk this path willingly or not.

One of the side-effects of this is that we can remove the pressure to “get married” (for solely getting married, not talking about other moral issues). This means we can open our concept of a faithful and fulfilling Christian life. Married and single life both provide valuable reflections on this loving God that called the Jewish people his wife, and the self-sacrificing Son who calls his church his bride.

※Reflection※
- What do these verses in the Song of Solomon tell us about God? How do the words from Psalm 118 affect your thoughts in comparison to the Song of Solomon?
- What have you learned about love from Christian singles in your life? What have you learned about love from Christian married couples in your life? If the same questions are asked in regards to non-Christians, do any answers change?
- The Song of Solomon isn’t the only Scripture that challenges our remote/separate/pure view of God. Which other verses or stories in the Scriptures do that? How do they affect your view of and relationship with God?
※Prayer※

O God, whose blessed Son made himself known to his disciples in the breaking of bread: Open the eyes of our faith, that we may behold him in the fullness of his redeeming work; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen [Wednesday of Easter Week Collect, Book of Common Prayer 2019]
2021-04-07
At The Gates
Psalm 118:1–2, 19–29; Jeremiah 33:10–16; Mark 10:32–34, 46–52

When we read the word “barren” in Jeremiah, we often think it is talking about the land, in particular the environment. The barrenness is in regard to people, in particular, God’s people (and their herds). They will soon no longer reside in the Promised Land, praising and worshiping God.

Poor decisions made by the People of God led to the barrenness and their exile. In response to their despair of exile, God promises them restoration. They have not even repented and God already promises their return. God spoke hope into the darkness. God spoke hope in the face of the people’s fear.

Fear is often a response to the unknown. Fear is also a response when we think we know what bad will come to pass. Those that followed Jesus behind the Disciples likely presumed the demise of this Messiah (self-declared Messiahs weren’t unknown, and they all died). They weren’t wrong.

This particular journey of Jesus to Jerusalem would indeed end in Jesus’ death. Those that feared weren’t wrong. Without being too specific (we have to remember that we often read the end into Jesus’ words, and the Disciples weren’t there, yet), Jesus spoke hope to the fear. Even while describing what would happen to him, Jesus spoke hope into the darkness.

The story of blind Bartimaeus seems to be just one of those stories of Jesus, but don’t overlook its placement within the context of Jesus’ final journey to Jerusalem. Bartimaeus was physically blind. Bartimaeus, on the other hand, had spiritual vision. We could just dismiss his cries to Jesus as pure desperation. Jesus, though, doesn’t seem to respond to sole desperation at other points in the Scriptures. Bartimaeus was something more. It seems quite reasonable that Bartimaeus’ place in the Gospel was to represent a counterpoint to the physically sighted who were spiritually blind.

The particularly glaring issue with the spiritually blind was how much vision they thought they had regarding spiritual issues, and definitely someone as significant as the Messiah. The so-called enlightened being compared to the least (a physically impaired person whose only source of income was through begging) would have been quite insulting.

Mark’s intent likely was that jarring comparison. As Mark wrote after the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, Mark (along with other followers of Jesus) would be striving to confront those that thought they were spiritually enlightened with the world-changing Jesus.

※Reflection※
- Which is your strongest tendency? (1) Seeing the bad that can/will happen and being overwhelmed with your fear of it (i.e., like those who followed the Disciples), (2) So consumed with the spectacle that your are blind to the darkness around or ahead of you (i.e., the Disciples), (3) Are sure you know that bad or darkness ahead but face it with the peace and strength of God (i.e., like Jesus)?
- Are you quick to assume you have Godly spiritual vision, or do you wonder if you are spiritually blind?
※Prayer※

Lord, each of us have different responses to the world and its struggles. Help us to build Godly responses to the darkness. Amen.
2021-03-27