Devotion.al

Tag: sight

  • Wrong Thing Vision

    Wrong Thing Vision

    Psalm 52; Ezekiel 31:1–12; Galatians 6:11–18

    “When a tree falls in the forest, does it make a sound?”

    That philosophical question is designed around the presence of a being. “Sound” being a human , the implication is that the tree wouldn’t make a sound, as there is no one around to hear. From a purely scientific standpoint, of course, the tree makes a sound. We understand that even when we are not present, there still will be sound waves. The animals will certainly hear it and try to move out of the way.

    Yesterday, when we read about the cedar, it was referring to the David line. In today’s passage, is refers to kings and leaders, just not the Davidic ones. The cultural awareness that the cedar represented royalty helps us understand that the cedar might be used in multiple contexts to represent the kingly leaders.

    The difference here is that the tree representing Assyria goes down and has no . Yesterday, the Davidic cedar had a bough taken off and replanted. Here, there is no legacy. In fact, the land animals resting on it show that it is nothing more than dirt.

    The tree, oddly enough, goes down not necessarily for Judah and Israel’s benefit, but to show Egypt who God is. Or perhaps we should say, remind Egypt who God is (reminding Judah and Israel, too).

    Governments, as they are a gathering of people, look to other governments and other people to get an idea of how to succeed, and often how to beat the other guy. Governments too busy looking at the other “guy” aren’t looking to God.

    Often when we are busy looking at the “other” (whether people, governments, and many ), we are not looking at the right things, let alone the things we can control.

    refers to the new . When we look too much to the world we lose of the new creation that is inside of us. It’s not that we corrupt it, but we can avoid it. As we look to others to define us or oppose us—instead of God—we miss out on the new creation. As the “others” look to unGodly things, they are often looking at the unGodly things of others, creating a vicious cycle.

    We need to break the cycle. How we break the cycle will be a very individual thing. We, like Paul, may up bearing marks like Christ on our bodies. We almost definitely will bear them on our souls.

    ※Reflection※

    • How much do you reflect on the new creation inside of you?
    • Do you ever see when the world tries to change this new creation?
    • Are you more driven by leaders, governments, or people within your circle? How do you try to influence them for Christ?

    ※Prayer※

    Lord, give us the freedom to recognize that we have been freed from the ways of the world. Help us to look to you first, so that we may transform the world through your for us. Amen.

  • Choosing the Fruit

    Choosing the Fruit

    Psalm 92:1–4, 12–15; Genesis 3:14–24; Hebrews 2:5–9

    There is something odd about the story in the Garden of Eden, and it isn’t the Fall (though that is central to our ). The story in the Garden of Eden revolves around loving obedience/ of God (that was a failure) and two trees.

    The apple (usually red) is the fruit to represent the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and . Not being a red apple fan, it can be hard for me to see the attraction (as Eve was attracted to it). It really wasn’t an apple, maybe. We don’t know what it was.

    Based upon what was provided in the story of the Fall, neither Adam nor Eve had experienced death or evil. Therefore, even their concepts of and good were not very deep. Describing a beautiful to a person born blind, or beautiful sound to a person born deaf is kind of like trying to explain, good, evil, or life to people who have no experience.

    What did the fruit of the Tree of Life have? Some people have created imagery that show that the Tree of Life also produces apples. That similarity is interesting but peculiar.

    It is the fruit of the trees, though, that show something about God. Some say that God put the trees as a test for humanity. It might be better to think of them as aspects of God in material form. As Christians, we talk about eternal life as the ultimate of following Christ. Eternal life was originally just a fruit. As Christians (and definitely as Nazarenes/Wesleyans/Methodists/etc), we talk about and believe in it. To be holy, one must know what evil is…perhaps.

    This, of course, will immediately cause many to shake or tremble, for by that logic, if God is holy (which God is), God must know evil. The fruit of the trees shows that. Knowing what evil is does not mean one is evil.

    The fruits are a foreshadow of what is to come for those of us who believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. We will receive the “fruit” that remains in the Garden and will know what evil is so that we know what truly Holiness is.

    ※Reflection※

    • How does knowing evil help you know what holiness is?
    • Why is knowing holiness important?
    • As you think of yourself on the spectrum of 1 (Holy) to 10 (Evil), where are you?

    ※Prayer※

    God, you have made us lower than you and yet us so much. Help us to know what evil is that we will instead know what it means to seek you. Amen.

  • Love Surrendered

    Love Surrendered

    Psalm 118:1–2, 19–29; Deuteronomy 16:1–8; Philippians 2:1–11

    Passover begins very shortly. In fact, there is a great symmetry in this. Passover starts with Israel’s rescue from Egypt (), passing through the Red Sea (), and in more modern understandings of Passover, the last day (or the last 2, depending on nation), is the “future looking” meal with the Messiah as the center (the /).

    Confused, yet? Amazed? The Jewish aspects of Christian theology and symbolism are there in plain .

    One of the interesting pieces is that there remains an expectation that the Messiah will come in power, , and might. This was the expectation of any person claiming to be the Messiah in ‘ day. Thus, when Jesus didn’t fulfill that, most Jews disregarded Jesus as Messiah.

    It is this quest for earthly presence which continues to haunt all of humanity. The constant pursuit of power, glory, wealth, gain continually seems to be against following God. It isn’t that power, glory, wealth, and gain are against God, but that the means and hearts of people are. Much of this is the desire to be above others, so that others look up to you, and you have those you can look down upon.

    ‘s observation that Jesus total divinity and became man is one of the linchpins of Christian theology and . That Jesus did this shows two things, that God loves those Created, and this love is so profound that God became not just identified with humanity, but actually became human. That is not a quest for power, glory, wealth, or gain, at least in the normal sense.

    Only God could turn becoming nothing into something beyond understanding.

    ※Reflection※

    • What else does this tell you about God?
    • What does this make you reflect on when comparing your actions to God’s?
    • Who has the harder comparison, a person of Christ or a person of the world?

    ※Prayer※

    God, you have called us to follow your example, and it’s hard. Help us, in our pride, to yield our will to yours. Amen.

  • Beyond Sight/Site

    Beyond Sight/Site

    Psalm 119:9–16; Haggai 2:1–9, 20–23; John 12:34–50

    Haggai and Zechariah were the two prophets that accompanied the Israelites from exile to home. Their primary focus was the restoration of Israel, not so much as a powerhouse, but as a people and of God, including both worship and the Davidic kingly line. Later on down the chronological line (beyond today’s readings), the temple is completed. However, the temple that was completed did not have the glory of the old one in physical status.

    As Haggai’s words are considered canonical (i.e., verified as the action of God), then the Jews saw something much different than the literal (often our temptation when we are reading). From a Jewish standpoint (especially Haggai’s traditionalist perspective), the temple isn’t so much the point as a people faithfully pursuing God with one of the signs being faithful worship as prescribed in the Old Testament. What does it matter what it looked like today (remember the original Temple was David’s plan, inspired by God, but not prescribed) when faithful worship and a God-fearing king were what was required?

    That Haggai was seeing beyond the immediate temple and even beyond the immediate kingly line tells us that ‘ words were not without historical precedence (as some have claimed). As we look beyond Jesus’ time on earth, we can see the fulfillment of Haggai’s words, as in Jesus Christ has changed the world. Though, sadly, many of those who cried, “Lord, Lord,” were liars, murderers, and power-grabbers beyond the average struggling .

    Haggai’s understanding of a God-honoring revolved around the temple. That is what tradition and the Scriptures taught. Haggai understood quite well, as he was coming from exile, that empty actions were not what was needed. It was actions that were firmly grounded in who God is, and that the Israelites were God’s chosen people.

    While Jesus’ words may have seemed revolutionary at the time, Jesus did answer the “Christ will be with us forever” in a way unexpected, though by pure reason, it probably should have been an idea. The Christ was with the Children of God forever…in their souls, their temple to God. Thus a relationship through the temple was now very personal, and the Christ was with them.

    Would Haggai have been able to recognize that Jesus Christ was the fulfillment of his in only a way that God could make it happen? Perhaps. We can only look at Haggai’s words and see Christ in retrospect.

    ※Reflection※

    • What practices do you fulfill in relationship with God? How about in regards to the temple, both body and ?
    • What do you think is comparable to the Davidic kingly line in regards to lively rightly before God?
    • When was the last time you evaluated your habits through the lens of habit or “because you need to”? Why is it important?

    ※Prayer※

    Lord, guide us ever deeper into meaningful and -changing relationship with you. Amen.

  • Seeing Well

    Seeing Well

    Psalm 50:1–6; 1 Kings 16:1–7; Luke 19:41–44

    “If only I had known…”

    We often will look back on our decisions as if we could have fixed them, or even with the assumption that we are wiser now than we were then. “Hindsight is 20/20,” is a pithy saying, but even our hindsight may only be slightly better than our foresight.

    Baasha had hindsight. God’s word had come true about Jeroboam’s fall. Baasha, therefore, had foresight of what was expected. Baasha maintained the false set up by Jeroboam (and continued by his son, Nadab). This was after assassinating Nadab.

    Jehu was sent to announce the consequences. Baasha had a chance and still went his own way, and his family died out as consequence. Baasha had foresight and hindsight…and still, he made the decision of false worship.

    While the false worship of idols and such from Jeroboam to Baasha is certainly large and significant, the false worship that confronts is different. Jerusalem, from a Jewish perspective, was the City of God. It had a special place. One would think that the exile would have dealt with some of that, but it is quite likely that the Maccabean revolution restored much of that perspective.

    Along with that was the inability of people to see God moving among them. We’re not just talking about Jesus, but the entire era. The Jewish world was unsettled, with and without Roman oversight. God was shaking things up.

    Jesus’ words were aimed at two things. The first was the false idol of Jerusalem. It sounds almost blasphemous. However, transforming, “I will you there,” and “I will put my there,” into only meeting God there is a problem.

    The other issue is being unable to see the of God when it is right next to you. The phrasing here in Luke is distinct as it is about peace. This contrasts with the imagery of Jerusalem falling in conquest. Seeing (and accepting) the (peace) is the opposite of the world (conflict).

    We often view these words in Luke as a kind of times , especially as Jerusalem did indeed fall a few decades later. God, though, isn’t so concerned about a place (not that God isn’t), as God is concerned about the people. It may be that Jesus was looking for people to see the disruption of God’s Kingdom on earth when in the middle of the corrupt world.

    ※Reflection※

    • What do you have the greatest hindsight regret for? What do you have the greatest hindsight appreciation for?
    • How do you see God moving today in comparison to the story around Baasha, and in comparison, to Jesus going through Jerusalem?

    ※Prayer※

    Lord, as you transform us, may we transform the world around us. Help us to look for your hand in the past and look for your in the . Amen.

  • What A Sight

    What A Sight

    Numbers 22:1–35

    Moab feared Israel. Israel “just” had a military victory against major forces around Moab. Israel had marched around Moab and yet hadn’t done anything directly against Moab. Moab was deeply concerned that they were next.

    According to Moses (in Deuteronomy 2:9), God had directed him to leave Moab alone.  There is no record of “official” interaction between the Moabites and Israel, so it would seem that Moab’s fears were based on assumptions rather than experience. Which leads us to Balaam.

    The King of Moab called upon Balaam to curse the Israelites. Accusing the Israelites of being, basically, locusts seems to be a case of hyperbole. Yet, there was unsurety in Moab. It’s safer to wipe out the “other” than to communicate with them.

    At first, it seems that Balaam was a righteous God-follower. As we continue the story, it seems that perhaps it was not quite so. There is an implication that God condescends to Balaam going to on King Balak’s behalf. The “go” seems to be more along the lines of, “You can go. You’re going to anyway. So, I will use your human desires to bring to me (God).”

    And then we come to the famous part of the story, which recently came up in a conversation. The entirety of the conversation was about a talking animal. Which I get it. None of us have had an animal speak to us in human speech.

    While human speech is important, our dog communicates just fine: whines, stares, growls, barks, licks, gnaws, pounces on, and so forth. She generally is successful in communicating her needs without human speech. A human baby communicates. It’s usually the parents who get the subtle differences between, “I’m hungry” cry, and “my stomach hurts” cry.

    We could blame children’s Sunday School for the emphasis on a talking beast of burden. The adults are just as nonplussed as the children, though. The talking animal wasn’t the point of the story, not even close.

    The talking animal was more along the lines of, “Yes, you (Balaam) said you heard me (God), but you need to understand how important it is that you actually listen to me!”

    In the church, preachers/pastors/teachers will often say something along the lines of, “Yes, this hard, but the say…” Part of this is the reality that preachers/pastors/teachers don’t want to deliver hard truth. It’s hard, and we all want to be liked. In a community that respects the Word of God, that can work.

    Balaam probably doesn’t have that particular protection. Like many people of , and especially with the gods of that era and place, they thought with the right amount of or right sacrifice they could “” gods to do their will. God doesn’t work that way, and Balak would likely have little in being thwarted.

    However, that talking donkey and then the of the sword-bearing angel? That imagery was probably quite strong in Balaam’s eyes and . Likely, it was that which gave him the strength to deliver the oracles for Israel despite Barak’s insistence on curses.

    A vision/experience like that would many of us the strength to face the world.

    ※Reflection※

    • When you recall the talking donkey, what else do you recall? Do recall the rest of the story?
    • Why is important, especially with stories like this, to understand that the Scriptures use imagery?

    ※Prayer※

    Lord, may we have the strength of your vision as we navigate the chaotic waters of this world. Amen.

  • Rooftop Shenanigans

    Rooftop Shenanigans

    Jeremiah 17:9–11; Luke 12:1–12

    If you have a smartphone, you are probably aware of this little program installed on it, which is supposedly an assistant. “Hello, Google, Siri, Bixby, Alexa.” This program can be helpful.

    Yet, there is often weirdness associated with it. There have been plenty of experiences where Facebook suddenly shows stuff in a person’s feed that they were just talking about. There have even been acknowledged failures where the microphones sent sounds to headquarters when the devices were not being interacted with by their “owners”.

    This was not the way likely intended, “whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the , and what you have whispered in an ear in private rooms will be proclaimed on housetops.”

    People don’t really want their private lives splayed out on anybody’s hard drive, whether it be the government or corporation. This holds true even when they have nothing to hide. There is a feeling of violation.

    The implication of Jesus’ words is that those that seek evil and the downfall of others will eventually receive their reward. Whether it is on the tabloids at the supermarket, the internet entertainment blogs, or the roofs of Heaven itself one’s darkest secrets are fair game when in conflict with the of Heaven.

    It might sound harsh. However, for many proud hearts it was only when their secrets and shames came out did repentant hearts blossom. Others steadfastly continued their ways and made the way for those who followed easier without compensation.

    What many people is how they look to their fellow humans. They don’t want their secrets out. They don’t want to be belittled. We all have in us, some more than others.

    People will sometimes go to stupid extremes to maintain their secrets, for they fear those who can bring (whether it be death of name, popularity, riches, or itself). Often, far too often, they do not fear (enough) the one they will see after their time here on earth is done.

    A person of , it is said, does the same in the dark as in the light. It’s a good general rule. It’s probably not 100%.

    Just like the world, the church is filled with those who lurk in the dark. Sometimes those who have the greatest darkness hide in the places of greatest light, thinking to hid in plain sight. For who would look for them there?

    ※Prayer※

    , you know and judge the hearts of all. , shape and mold us into hearts of light. Amen.

  • My Rules Not Yours

    My Rules Not Yours

    Mark 10:1–9; Luke 1:69–75; Galatians 3:1–5

    The rule of having to wear masks when going out into public (with some exceptions in the US and elsewhere) is grating. Really. Who wants to wear a mask all day? No one wants to.

    Many are concerned that we are being conditioned to wear masks and have our freedoms curtailed. That concern is reasonable, up to a point. What’s particularly interesting is the social experiment regarding rules.

    The political “right” is generally a law and order type of people. Yet, that group is resisting the mask rule. The political “left” is (theoretically) more of a “no rules” yet practices many rigid rules.

    This is not to pick on either, but to show that even in our “crystal clear” political bents, we are often not clear ourselves. Yet, one of the core pieces of theology, especially Protestant theology, is freedom from the Law.

    Of course, someone will often that the Law is different than rules. Yes, the Law is a series of religious rules that defined appropriate behavior and a penalty for when that behavior was violated.

    The “trick” became that the people treated the Law as if it were the that mattered, rather than their relationship to God. That is also a simplification of it. Another way to say may be, they focused on the rules so much that they neglected the relationship.

    gets the rules of divorce question. Is that really the question, though? Is the question more along the lines of, “what can I do that I think makes me happy while still getting to Heaven?” The question of divorce is a question of relationship on one hand and what can be gotten away with. The way Pharisees brought this to Jesus was about the law. It wasn’t about a man looking for a younger wife or a prettier one, or even one the nagged him less. It was about using the Law to break relationship.

    When anyone becomes more concerned about the rules (whether to follow them or disobey them) than the that the rules are about, we lose of people. Zechariah’s praise (from Luke 1) is all about the relationship. Zechariah would have been one of those concerned about the rules (he was a priest). The relationship with God and God with God’s people mattered more.

    The other side of the rules, and a significant focus of the Protestant reformation, was the thought that one could earn their way into Heaven by following rules, rituals, or purchasing one’s way in. The last of these 3 is not ‘s concern in his letter to the Galatians. What concerned him was that the Galatians seemed to have tossed out and relationship and embraced rules.

    This is not to say rules are not important. They provide guidance and boundaries, which we seem to need to thrive. Yet, if we adhere to the rules (or oppose the rules) without understanding the why and the who that the rules are about we skip the people that we are called to .

    ※Questions※

    1) Thinking of relationships regarding authority, how do rules and relationships work with and against each other?

    2) What rules that bother you? Why? What relationships might those rules impact?

    ※Prayer※

    Jesus, you came to earth to show us the Way of . Help us to find both the freedom and constraints of following you. Amen.