Devotion.al

Tag: Son

  • Very Much Active

    Numbers 11:16–17+Numbers 11:24–30, 1 Samuel 10:1–13, Mark 9:35–41

    The —the third person of the —often does not in a way we understand or can predict. That makes us frustrated. For example, there are Christians who believe the has ceased miraculous activity. For some, that means no miraculous healings. For that means no “tongues”. For others that even includes the gifts of the Spirit.

    Many tie the movement of the Holy Spirit to the 12 Apostles and . However, as we read in the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit was active without them. So, where does this us? Well, there can be no question, really, that the Holy Spirit is in action. Hearts are still called to Jesus. Hearts are still changed. Lives are still transformed.
    To believe that 1/3 (the Holy Spirit) of the Trinity is inactive while the other 2/3 (God the , Jesus the Son) are active seems to be problematic. The Holy Spirit is God. So, if the rest of God is active, it seems illogical for the Holy Spirit to not be.

    The struggle is, again, that the Holy Spirit does not necessarily move in the ways we want or predict. Thus the conclusion is drawn that the Holy Spirit stopped moving. However, miraculous healings do occur. Tongues still occur (and not just the charismatic type). The gifts of the Spirit, including , still occur. It is often that our hearts and minds are too dull and hard to see them for what they are.

    1) Have you ever seen or experienced a miracle that could only be performed by God?

    2) If you haven’t, or haven’t a long while, why do you think (or do you think) the Holy Spirit is still active?

    3) Why do think it is important that the Holy Spirit is or isn’t active? How does your belief impact the way you live your ?

  • Just Praying

    1 Samuel 1:1–18, Luke 18:1–8, Matthew 6:5–15

    “…The of a righteous person is very powerful in its effect.”—James 5:16

    As a gift, prayer is probably second only to and . The ability to talk to the Creator of the universe. The God who calls us children.

    Prayer can take many forms. While there may not be as many forms as there are people, there are still many forms which can be done in many combinations. Prayer is also changing. Prayer doesn’t just us, but through our lives, our prayers change and how we pray changes.

    Hannah was thought to be drunk. However, her heartache was so acute that words failed her. In a culture where prayers were spoken aloud (especially in public at the Tabernacle), someone praying quietly (or silently) was abnormal, and (as Eli displayed) not particularly trusted. Hannah’s prayer was effective, however, along with even Eli’s blessing. The boy who came of it, Samuel, was the spiritual leader of Israel for many years.

    Hannah shows the ‘s prayer. Jesu talked about persistent prayer. Regardless, for example, of what you think of him now, Franklin Graham (the of the famous evangelist Billy Graham) ran away from the of his father. He was the prodigal son. Ruth Graham (the wife of Billy Graham) was persistent in prayer for her son, Franklin. After many years, Franklin returned to the faith. She, like the widow in ‘ story, was persistent. However, unlike the unrighteous judge in the story, our prayers are heard by the righteous God. Ruth Graham incorporated her prayers for her son in her daily devotionals.

    Who says which form (devotionals or a poured out heart at a single annual festival) is better? There are many Christians who look to Jesus’ words and draw huge generalizations that Jesus does not make. For example, the Jesus prayer, “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have on me, a sinner,” has been used for years. People condemn it as babble because it is used in repetition. However, these same people often use the Lord’s Prayer (a mere 2 verses later) as memorized prayer without meditating on the actual words and meaning. Which is right?

    1) What are your preferred methods to pray? Why do you think that is?

    2) Have you ever tried to pray a different way? Why? What was the spiritual difference?

    3) How is your prayer ?

  • The New Healing Miracles

    2 Kings 4:18–37, 2 Kings 5:1–14, Mark 10:46–52, James 5:13–18

    We are embodied creatures. In other words, our bodies are part of our being, well-being, and attitudes. When it isn’t well, it is harder for our perspectives to be positive or good. We have to work harder, pray harder, more to be joy-filled when our bodies aren’t functioning.

    The are filled with miraculous healings. The Shunammite woman’s (who was a miracle as it was) being raised to life. Naaman’s of leprosy by washing in the river. The blind man being able to see. There was so much healing going on.

    Today, however, there does not seem to be as much. There are the charlatans who “heal” in while emptying wallets. The verifiable healings are minimal (there are some). In the developing world, there are verifiable miraculous healings. Now, yes, there are miraculous healings even in the developed world. You may have experienced one yourself. However, they just are not that common.

    One could that (or lack thereof) is the reason, and there is probably in it. Science and medicine, however, have taken the place of miracles. This is not to say that miracles do not occur. It is that because of our faith in medicine, God works through that primarily.

    1) Why do you think God works through modern medicine, instead of miracles, in the developed world?

    2) When James wrote his directive regarding seeking healing many of the ailments easily dealt with today were life-threatening. What does this tell you about seeking healing?

    3) When we credit God for our healing through modern medicine, we still need to be thankful for and grateful to those who are in charge of care, especially for their work, even if they don’t see it that way. How can you do this with those charged for your care?

  • Sign of the Flesh

    Joshua 5:1–9

    You’ve been literally following (cloud by day; by night) God for 40 years. In that time, you’ve eaten mysterious white stuff that shows up at dawn and melts by noon. Your clothes and sandals don’t wear out. Water mysteriously appears in the desert. In other words, 40 years of nothing much. Nothing much? Seriously? Isn’t just that short list above enough? Apparently not.

    The of circumcision between God and Abraham was abandoned. Many scholars have concluded that as circumcision was also practiced by the Egyptians, there was some sort of circumcision ban for the Israelites. While the do not say that, there was an issue revolving around Moses’ not being circumcised (Exodus 4:24–26), which would indicate that Moses did not practice it. At the same time, circumcision was part of out the law.

    Despite the Abrahamic covenantal requirement. Despite its requirement for Passover, being part of the tribe, or participating in the communal religious , circumcision wasn’t being done. Were the Israelites completely clueless, including Moses? One could that the adults were circumcised. They just didn’t circumcise their sons (i.e., pass on the and covenant). Is that really any better?

    What was God thinking? Throughout the journey, the Israelites were tested and tried. Yet, circumcision didn’t come up. Other tests of faith occurred, but this still didn’t come up. It almost seems that God wrote them off…not completely, but that they had lost their place as THE people who went into the Promised Land.

    In a blood (blood representing life), the Israelite males were circumcised. God’s words made it clear that the time of the desert journey was over. There was a new path and a new journey before the Israelites. It was now the next generation’s responsibility to carry things , and the did. However…

    “That whole generation was also gathered to their ancestors. After them, another generation rose up who did not know the LORD or the works he had done for Israel.” —Judges 2:10

    1) Traditions and habits intended to develop and trained often get tossed aside because they are the “old way”. What traditions and habits have you dismissed?

    2) We are quick to see our traditions and habits being discarded, but fail to see those that we discarded. Why is that?

    3) New traditions and habits can be just as powerful as old ones. What new ones can you help to build and pass on?

    4) No tradition or habit is any good unless effectively passed on to the next generation of believers. What will you do to pass it on?

  • Law and Grace

    Exodus 20:1-21, Psalm 51, 2 Samuel 11:1-12:13

    The law (whether Jewish, US, or others) would seem to be pretty black and white. Yet, if you spend any time driving, you can quickly realize that while the speed limit is 60, only one lane of traffic goes that slowly, and even the state patrol passes others.

    In the movie, The Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of The Black Pearl, there is a scene after a “negotiation”:

    Elizabeth: ! You have to take me to shore. According to the Code of the Order of the Brethren

    Barbossa: First, your to shore was not part of our negotiations nor our agreement so I must do nothing. And secondly, you must be a pirate for the pirate’s code to apply and you’re not. And thirdly, the code is more what you’d “guidelines” than actual rules.

    We often look at the “rules” (especially as we “look back” upon the Jewish rules in the time of ) as rigid and unforgiving, however, there is more to the rules, than rigidity. One of the biggest objections to the rules in the time of Jesus was that they lead to the of and soul. That hadn’t been the point. They were to be rules of .

    In the story of David and Bathsheba, David violated the following commandments: do not murder, do not commit adultery, Do not covet…your neighbor’s wife…

    Then the prophet Nathan judges David as having violated the commandment against stealing.

    So, David was guilty of violating 3–4 commandments. 2 of these violations were supposed to have earned the death penalty. Instead of death, Nathan said, “…the LORD has taken away your ; you will not die.”

    Commentators and theologians seem to agree on why; David was contrite and repented. Death was still a consequence, just not David’s death. The first son of David and Bathsheba was the blood for the violations of the law. An innocent life paid the price.

    1) Have you ever held someone to a particular standard (law), and then given yourself or an excuse regarding the same or similar violation?

    2) Have you ever given grace or excuse to another, while holding yourself to a higher or just more rigid standard?

    3) How do you think Jesus shows us how to walk between the two?

  • Work Assignment

    Genesis 14:17–20, Hebrews 5:1–4, Acts 13:1–3

    The calling of God is mysterious. The Levitical line produced the priests, but who would be called was something different.

    The calling of pastors is equally mysterious (including to the pastors). How and why God calls certain people to be pastors and doesn’t call other equally equipped (or equipable) and faithful people remains a .

    In many respects, King Melchizedek is emblematic of the issue. He just pops into scripture as a priest of God, and then is gone again. The first person titled priest is a mystery. That is really part of the whole point. That the calling of a person to more directly and intimately interact and (in particularly limited ways) in the place of God can often be hard to fathom.

    The author of Hebrews does provide us a boundary, which is good. “No one takes this honor on himself…” One of the of the current culture is that people aren’t pursuing ministry due to its cultural respect (yes, it’s a sad thing, too). In this culture people are making not just a financial sacrifice, they are also making a cultural sacrifice. In the Middle Ages, for example, the younger or daughter would be sent into the , the influence (some security about inheritance fights). The younger son didn’t often have a choice. That being said, many of them became great blessings to the church through their faithful service and guidance. While people angled to use the church (and their children) to power and influence, many of them surrendered fully to God making a big difference. While those that were sent to the church may have been sent with deceptive or unrighteous purpose, the boundary that the author of the book of Hebrews made was still .

    While priests and pastors have a particular (maybe peculiar) call, all Christians have a call. Yours may not have been assigned. Sometimes the call can be within our work, our hobby, our friends, our neighborhood. In fact, in each of these places, we are “assigned” to work for the . However, there are certain areas that God has more strongly called us to do the work.

    One of the biggest clues is how you are wired, and what activities you enjoy. How we are wired and what we enjoy makes our work for the kingdom more infectious and effective. There are limits, of course, to the activities. Not all activities are a blessing.

    1) What activities are you most joy-filled doing?

    2) How can those activities be used at church, family, work, other social circles, to build the Kingdom?

    3) Roles we are assigned or fill aren’t necessarily joy-filled. How can you take the activities and apply them to your roles? Be creative.

  • Godly Disrupting

    Genesis 37:2–11, Luke 2:13–19, Luke 2:41–51

    Joseph’s dreams were a problem. That the figures in the dreams were readily identified by the participants tells us that the visions were easy to understand, Joseph explained the visions for them, or God also gave Joseph’s brothers and the ability to understand them.

    Even assuming Joseph was indeed a spoiled brat, scripture does not say he explained his dreams. In fact, if we cheat and look ahead, the dreams all need to be interpreted. While Joseph is indeed the interpreter later, he does not seem to be now. That is open to discussion, of course.

    The real matter of interest is that Israel “kept the matter in mind.” While Israel could (and possibly should) have chided his , regardless, he kept all these dreams in mind. Parents have a tendency to keep some of the strangest (or surprising) words and actions of their children in mind, or what people say about them.

    Take Mary, for another example. There was no question her son, , was the target of much interest. She heard wonderful and amazing things about her son. Her son said some interesting things to her. Regardless of how unsettling they might have been, she kept them in her .

    What is it about these parents that kept these particular events so strongly in their memories? Perhaps it was the whisper of the saying, “watch this.” Perhaps it is that part of us–the —that resonates with the movement of God.

    1) We read scripture, often passing over seemingly inconsequential things. Do you think that there have been opportunities to “resonate” with God’s movement that you have missed or ignored?

    2) If God were to have a memento book of you, what things do you think God would “keep in his heart?” What do you want God to “keep in his heart?”

    3) Often things that are the most unsettling, can be the most transformative. Is there something unsettling in your that you need to allow to transform you?

  • Circumcised Relationship

    Genesis 17:1–14, Deuteronomy 10:14–22, Luke 1:59–80

    The ritual of circumcision existed before the people of Israel came into being (yes, Abraham was their forefather). This was a ritual the physically made the people of Israel different than those around them. It was (and is) the ceremony that “enters” a boy into the covenant. In the modern ceremony (which, in all likelihood, had similarities to the ceremony John went through), the parents with, “As this child has entered into the covenant, so may he enter into Torah, the wedding canopy, and good deeds.” This is also the time when the boy officially receives his Hebrew name.

    While we’re certain that John didn’t get married, he certainly learned (“entered”) the Torah and did “good” deeds. When we recognize the receiving of a name as part of this ceremony, we understand where the is a bit confused regarding the name that John receives, which isn’t Hebrew. John’s name in and of itself indicates that John is set apart at the tender of 8 days (plus the whole angel visitation) to be different. The Brit Milah is a big family occasion. What a time to make waves!

    While obeying the (Jewish) Law is good, obeying the Law for the Law’s sake is not. As we talked about a few days ago, the Law was never the point. It was a with God. The event of Brit Milah was both the entering into the covenant and recognizing the One who created that community…God.

    Often we get sidetracked by the good things: church, Bible reading, Life Groups, even . As we “check-off” the list, we neglect a relationship with the One around whom all these revolve. The tasks overtake the relationship. That being said, there are far too many people who say, “I can worship God better (here) than at (church/life groups).” They might be correct…for a time. However, when we worship God in isolation, we become the only one who holds us accountable. Except in rare cases, that means the worship (let alone the relationship) fades away.

    When Moses talked about circumcising the heart, it wasn’t supposed to be a task to be “checked-off”, it was a relationship to be had.

    1) When we look at the of circumcision, we can see the similarity with infant . What are the similarities? What are the differences? Why do those differences matter?

    2) At the circumcision, there are 3 aspects of life that are addressed. What are they? How do they echo the Christian life?

    3) Age is no barrier to making waves; John’s parents were well advanced in years, and their son was 8 days old. What does this tell you about the age barriers in the Christian life? What does this tell you about making a difference for God’s ?