Devotion.al

Tag: sharpen

  • Willing to be Sharpened

    Willing to be Sharpened

    Proverbs 27:17; Acts 15:36–41

    I’m sure you’ve never fought. Ever. With anyone. I’m sure that you’ve never raised your or yelled in anger or frustration. Ever. At anyone.

    was strong-willed and opinionated. Barnabas was a person who seemed to always be the forgiving type. He was known as an encourager.

    Paul and Barnabas had been on . They had been in trouble together. They had seen God’s glory together. They had seen the people. By all accounts, they were successful missionary partners.

    From Paul’s letters, we know that he really cared about the people gathered into the churches. There was probably a strong motivation to make sure they were okay and hadn’t fallen prey (again) to non-Christians (both Jew and Gentile).

    Then we come to Mark. It is unclear why Mark had left them in Pamphylia. Based on context, some commentators believe that Mark left Paul (going to Jerusalem) because Mark didn’t believe that should not have ties to Judaism. The thought process was that Paul would not have been so opposed to Mark if it had not been something serious (versus being young and unaccustomed to travel, as other commentators have said).

    Here is where we see the . Barnabas and Paul were not opposing each other regarding the mission (i.e., they were united). One could even say their disagreement proved that they both believed in the mission. What they disagreed on was Mark’s part in the mission.

    They couldn’t agree. They parted ways.

    Paul’s was sharp and straightforward (one might say similar to an oncoming train). Barnabas was the type who sought to lift others up. What is interesting here is that Barnabas chose to “lift up” Mark, despite Paul’s insistence.

    Whether in , work, or home, there will be times where people do not agree in approach. All too often, the only option seems to be separation. Yet, when two such “opposites” sharpen each other, that which comes from it will often be greater than the only one. The trick is how to make it happen.

    We do know this, though. Mark and Paul were reconciled. Mark and Timothy (Paul’s protege) became ministry partners.

    ※Reflection※

    • Have you ever seen two people whose goal is the same, but their methods are different? How did that go?
    • What does it take for two people of significantly different approaches to try to work together?
    • If you’ve found yourself in such a situation, are you more like Paul or like Barnabas?

    ※Prayer※

    Lord, we can quickly fall apart on our differences. Help us to take these differences to make a symphony for you. Amen.

  • Mighty

    Mighty

    Judges 2:6–15; 2 Corinthians 10:1–11

    At this point, there are a lot of stirred up people. You might even be one of them. The question is, what really is stirring you?

    Is it a belief that the current president is a lunatic and must be destroyed (metaphorically or in reality)? Is it a belief that the current president is the righteous that will lead the country to some sort of glory?

    In the middle of this mess are Christians. Some are confused. Many are disgusted. Some champion the president. Some champion the president-elect. Theoretically, all treasure Christ as Lord.

    That’s the rub.

    One of the constant mutterings of the (on myriad “sides” of many issues) is about a . A real Christian nation wouldn’t [fill in the blank]. What if we never knew what a Christian nation was? What if, there has never been a “true” Christian nation in history?

    When we look at what happens after the death of Joshua, it’s easy (and understandable) to put much of the blame on Joshua and that’s generations’ leaders. On the other hand, no one forced the Israelites to pick up the patterns of the defeated people, especially the Baal and Astarte’s .

    In far too many respects, the mythos of a Christian nation is as spiritually deadly as the mythos of an Israelite nation upon the death of Joshua (and his peers). “We are a/the [] nation.” It can become a great deceit.

    Thus, God’s word is sharper than any sword. Paul’s words in letters were far sharper than his presence. Why? Often a letter is missing so much of the feeling and emotion of presence.

    There is a reason why emojis and emoticons have become such a part of the digital world…text only goes so far. However, sometimes the lack of emotion in the text makes it the very thing we need.

    Just as Paul’s letter to the Corinthians was one of love, his previous letter(s) had apparently earned him a reputation.

    God’s letter, the Bible, is much the same. It is God’s story to us. We do miss a lot of God’s emotions. Yet perhaps we need a lot of sharpening.

    It was my that we would be beyond this. It was my hope that we would be stepping toward healing. That is not the case.

    While it will be easy to point at one president or one political party, the truth is that we are as much the issue as anyone else. The truth is that we are in as great a need of God’s word shaping and sharpening us as anyone else.

    ※Reflection※

    What is something in your that needs sharpening by God’s word?

    ※Prayer※

    Lord, let your word us, and your love strengthen to be your hands, feet, and words in this world. Amen.

  • Discipl…

    Discipl…

    Psalm 94; Proverbs 13:18; Matthew 18:15–17; 2 Corinthians 13:1–4

    Discipleship is a buzzword these days. In church circles, digital and physical, there are regular (and worthwhile) conversations about discipleship. There are fancy names such as “discipleship pathway” or “growth tracks” or any number of others. All of them are one of many ways to think about and to name the daily work of becoming more like .

    Sunday School was quite the thing at many points in church history. John Wesley, the “grandfather” of the Church of the Nazarene denomination, was a great proponent of it. Some would claim that John Wesley’s desire to serve and educate the poor led to the opportunity (with failures and success) of public schools to educate all the children, not just the rich and powerful ones.

    As the cultural seasons have changed, however, the weakness of the knowledge imparted has become apparent. In following the Enlightenment’s path, knowledge of facts began to override relationship with Jesus. This led to intellectual assent of the Savior with hearts that were cold.

    The Holiness tradition has long held that the true path of the is to become more like Christ. Yes, that is a high standard. One doesn’t do much if one aims low. The focus on discipleship would seem to fix the missing pieces. Except…

    comes from the same root as disciple. This is not coincidental. To be a disciple requires discipline. We often think Jesus’ 12 Disciples weren’t that disciplined (impetuous Peter and corrupt Judas Iscariot often come to mind). They walk with Jesus for as long as 3 years. That simple is one of discipline.

    Often, we “soften” discipline by saying “spiritual disciplines”, being prayer, reading scripture, , fasting, fellowship, , and other depending on whose list you read. The spiritual disciplines are good and helpful to build up your Christian walk. They should not be ignored or dismissed. However, there is one aspect of being transformed into the likeness of Jesus Christ that we, especially we individualistic Americans, don’t like…the other discipline.

    This is a hard topic in many churches. Pastors don’t really want to talk about it. Most people don’t want to hear about it. Individualistic tendencies have created a monster that the people of the church will have to fight. Of course, they/we are the monster we have to fight.

    Church discipline, that of correcting a member, is not something ever done lightly or without and discernment. We have all heard horror stories of church discipline gone wrong, emotionally harming and spiritually devastating people. None of us want that.

    The true depth of discipline is among fellow believers who hold one another accountable, not to shame or guilt them, but to be the tools by which a person is transformed into the likeness of Christ.

    ※Questions※

    1) What disciplines are you following to become more like Jesus?

    2) Who is involved in your sharpening and discipline? Whose walk are you involved in to sharpen and be a tool of discipline?

    3) Why do you think discipline and disciplines (i.e., “spiritual”) have been separated from being a disciple?

    ※Prayer※

    Jesus, let your Spirit guide us and to be followers and do-ers of your will. Amen.

  • Getting Out

    Getting Out

    Getting Out

    1 September 2020

    Acts 12:1–12:19; Acts 16:23–34

    The story of Peter being freed from prison is often used when talking about the power of praying for . Even scientific studies have shown a correlation between a person being prayed for and improvements in health. There is power in .

    There is also power in being freed from prison, especially the prison of our own minds and hearts. I’ve been thinking these last few days about my time with Celebrate Recovery (CR). CR is a re-Christianized version of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), which was originally Christian.

    In CR, I met wonderfully broken people. Yes, they were wonderfully broken. They had come to the end of themselves and found . Through Jesus, the , and a loving (CR) they began the long road of recovery.

    Prayer was part of every story of recovery. From the beginning to the now, prayer was there. The prisons of chemical addiction, emotional addictions, and sexual addictions were being identified and broken.

    Did people fall again? Of course. God, though, is pretty strong in the area of lost causes, and many in CR only ever viewed themselves as lost causes. God, therefore, had a lot to work with.

    Does CR just automatically “flip-the-switch”? Of course not. It does, however, take a person’s and life experiences and mold it into a follower of Jesus Christ who has true empathy for the struggles of others.

    One of the “features” of CR is the recovery story. Here, a person shares their story from all the hard, painful, and even humiliating things that became an addiction, to the breakdown of pride that lead them to Christ, which led them on a lifelong journey of recovery.

    Sometimes it’s those stories that break through the ego of others. The chains fell off and Silas, and the jail doors came open. Instead of just escaping, they used this example to lead another person and his family to Jesus Christ. Their prison freed another man from his.

    The world is full of prisons: , racism, prejudice, , anger, hatred. We are called to show people that we are no longer bound by the prisons of the world. Of course, the means we need to see that we are in prison and that we need to get out.

    ※ Prayer ※

    Holy Spirit, our spirit and will that we can leave our prisons through the grace and power of Jesus. Amen.

    ※ Questions ※

    1) What was the first thing you think of when you see “prison”? Why? What has shaped that in your life?

    2) Have you ever seen someone leave their “prison”? What was your reaction?

    3) Leaving our prison can be instantaneous or it can take a lifetime. What prison are you looking to be free from?

  • Wholesome Speech

    Wholesome Speech

    Leviticus 19:11–18; 2 Corinthians 12:19–21; 1 Peter 2:1–5 (read online ⧉)

    Slander is one of the biggest things that divide people whether it be in families, churches, the , the world. Slander can be small things, it can be large things. The reality is that it often hurts the innocent and the guilty the same. Slander and gossip can be very destructive. However, while we often focus on the person who is being slandered or gossiped about, we often miss the larger picture.

    Let’s take any leader. If you heard them slandering or gossiping about someone else, it should make you pause. If they are willing to say that about a person who isn’t present, what are they saying about you when you are not present? Slander and gossip can undermine leadership, , , and most of all love.

    This does not mean that we cannot vent or share our struggles or feelings regarding another person. That can be bad, too. What we share about others needs to be considered carefully. Often we don’t carefully and prayerfully consider what we say about others. It is when we react with our responses that the greatest damage can occur. In our anger or pain, we often attribute characteristics to others that are more a of our feelings than the other person.

    In fact, there is no simple way to do any of this. Human relationships are often a struggle. While we struggle to relate to one another, we are hurt by one another, and hurt one another. Some of the pains we experience and have yet to identify or process will come out in ways we do not understand or anticipate. Celebrate Recovery (a 12-step Christian recovery program) has a great and very useful saying for when we deal with other people:

    “Hurt people, hurt people.”

    It is simple. If we think about it, though, we can see the truth in it. Humankind has fallen from God’s intent. Out of our , and as a consequence of the sins of others, we hurt that which bears God’s image…each other.

    God, you show such grace, mercy, and with us your wayward children. Thank you for the of Jesus, giving us a way to overcome our frailties that does not depend on us. Holy Spirit, sharpen and heal us into a Christlike image that seeks to restore and heal others and ourselves. Amen.

    Questions

    1) Can you think of a time when you believe someone slandered you or gossiped about you? What was that like?

    2) What is wholesome ? What should the characteristics of wholesome speech be? What should the end results of wholesome speech be?

    3) How do you heal relationships torn apart by gossip or slander?

  • People Needed

    Isaiah 30:8–17, 1 Thessalonians 2:2–12

    “To make Christlike disciples in the nations.”—Church of the Nazarene Statement

    “Iron sharpens iron and one person sharpens another.”—Proverbs 27:17

    is not a program, nor is it a class. It is a lifestyle. If we are not careful, Sunday School, Groups, Youth Group, Children’s Church, even Sunday Service become mere flattery of our wordly wants and desires, rather than discipleship.

    If you aren’t being challenged by God’s and Spirit during or as a result of these (even as the ), then it is all empty. Will the challenge always occur? No. If it rarely or never occurs, that is the “best” indicator.

    The problem is that we often just want easy, even at Church. Church, sadly, isn’t meant to be easy. Church, as , is meant to be transforming. Transformation can often be painful or uncomfortable.

    In Isaiah, we read the consequences of flattery and (pointless/false) positive words, and it isn’t pretty. Paul challenged the Thessalonians to listen for the Gospel, rather than be flattered by the speakers trying to turn them away from the Gospel and probably against Paul himself.

    We are to be challenged, not because our views are true or false, but through the maturing of our faith as it faces the real world is how we show the world the love of Christ, and become the of the world.

    The hard part for our egos is that we often want people to be nice when we need them to be kind. What’s the difference? Think of someone standing on the railing of a tall skyscraper with a strong wind. Nice: “be careful.” Kind: pull them back, even if it hurts them. One is passive (doormat). One is life. In a true discipleship relationship, we need kind people, and we need to be authentic. That is scary.

    1) What discipleship relationships and patterns do you have?

    2) It’s easy to say , bible reading, and attending church are your patterns. However, plenty of people do those, too, and we don’t them Christians. What is the difference?

    3) With the new Life Groups in the Fall, what new path will you take? Will you join (or lead) a Life Group? Or will you start a small band with the to sharpen one another? Or will you stagnate?

  • Spirit Grades

    Jeremiah 23:30-40, 1 John 4:1–6
    What is a spirit?

    In the , there is the Spirit. That is certainly one. However, often the time spirit is used, it is not a good thing. There are evil spirits. There are deceptive spirits. It is the deceptive spirits that make an appearance all too often. What is even sadder is that many of these deceptive spirits deceive with wonderful sounding things like peace. In the case of Jeremiah, the deceptive spirits led people to provide false dreams, false promises, and deceptive ways. The ways, as God says, that are not good for the people. These, of course, are the most subtle, most attractive, the hardest to see, and the hardest to escape.

    This is why it is no small reason that John encourages us to test the spirits that come to us. We are to rely on the , along with the fellowship of mature believers. Of course, there is also the darker side of that, where group-think is in play, and the Holy Spirit is lost in an attempt to sustain the ways of old. The spirits that say is not from God, or that Jesus really didn’t die, or that Jesus did not rise from the dead? They are all active today, just as they were in John’s time. The world, the part that wants to remain deaf to God, seeks spirits, just not the Spirit of God.

    Zeitgeist is a concept from German philosophy. It means “spirit of the age”. The basic concept is that there is a dominating understanding or a group of characteristics that accompany and define a certain time or era. This is a different spirit, but it affects the life, and the world, often as much as the deceptive spirits (as if the deceptive spirits are part of it). , the other, hatred, anxiety, loneliness, and so much else are the signs of illness. They are also the zeitgeist of our day.

    As much as we don’t want to fear or hate, we still turn to it. There is a form of deception that appears like living. The world is so full of negative emotions, that often without them people do not feel alive. Let that sink in. Without negative emotions, people feel as if they are dead. It’s strange. In the time of Jeremiah, it was the ways of peace that were a lie and people sought it. From Christ to now to tomorrow, the way of peace is the truth, and people cling to the negative.

    1) When you watch or read news stories, do you see positive or negative?

    2) When people one of your tribes (religion, , state, political party) evil or misguided, how do you ?

    3) The practice of and need for the spirits have not stopped. One could argue that practice and need are even more important now. What are you doing to strengthen and sharpen your ability to test the spirits?

  • Being Pulled

    Deuteronomy 9:13–21, Luke 21:34–38, Hebrews 3:12–19

    The culture wars are over. Or are they? Just this week, the Chinese government reaffirmed its attack on Christianity, promising to root out any “Westernizing” characteristics to Chinese culture. The conference last month held by the Methodist was a conflict of cultures (particularly US/Canada versus the Southern Hemisphere). Many American Evangelicals continually attack the prevailing American culture, while embrace it. These words are not meant to start a strong cultural “”. They are meant to make you realize that there always has been, and always will be a culture war. The culture wars won’t always be in your face. That’s actually the problem. It’s the little things that can lead us toward the wrong things. It is also the little things that can bring us to the best things.

    Moses’ summary of the Israelites behavior (so quick to turn away from God) is a summary of many people’s with God. It is first hot but goes cold quickly. While we can look at the Israelites as different than ourselves, our tendencies are still there. The Israelites may have been called into a covenant with God (just as we are), but they still were products of a hybrid Egyptian/Hebrew culture. It wasn’t “pure”. There was a culture war in the hearts of the Israelites from the moment Moses approached Pharoah, to…well, it just continued. It never really stopped. The entirety of the Hebrew Testament is a culture war. God’s ways versus the people’s ways.

    Jesus warns the disciples of this when he tells them to be on guard. Now we could say to ourselves that we don’t have a practice of carousing or drunkenness, and most of us don’t when it comes to . However, there are other behaviors that, while different, result in the same dullness of mind: overwork; exhaustion; over-consumption of , media, food, etc. Our minds are easily dulled. Without the sharpness to good from bad (long- and short-term), and Godly from not-Godly, we can make decisions that lead us away from a more fulfilling life with God.

    As we turn away from God, and as the world pulls us away from God, bad thoughts, patterns, and habits can build and develop in us to further harden our hearts. When we fully participate in a Godly life, which includes (but is not limited to) fellowship with other believers, our minds should be prepared when it comes to the world. We cannot stand on our own. It would be nice to not have to rely on others, but that is not the way God wired us. We are intended to be in community. This is why the author of Hebrews uses “we”. As participants in the body of Christ, we guard each others’ hearts, and we (should be) sharpening each others’ minds to better discern the worldly from the Godly.

    1) Are you participating in the body of Christ? This does and does not mean showing up on Sundays. Often the temptation on Sundays is to be a consumer or observer, rather than a participant. So, if you are participating, how is it helping you to your mind?

    2) If you are participating, and your mind is not being sharpened, what can you along with others do to add sharpening? If you are not currently participating, what are you doing to sharpen your mind?

    3) Have you ever experienced something similar to a “dullness of mind”? What significant decisions, if any, have you made in those times? Do you have any regrets with those decisions?

    FD) Friends can have different cultures. Have you ever had a struggle with a friend because there was a cultural difference? What did you do?