Devotion.al

Tag: spirit

  • Strange People

    Strange People

    Exodus 20:1–17; Psalm 19; 1 Corinthians 1:18–25; John 2:13–24

    ‘ “cleaning” of the is often focused on how the Jews “corrupted” the House of God. There is in it. The scary part is that it often seems to be a, “look at them” moment, rather than what it should be, “look at us”. On top of that, the last 2 verses in this chapter of John are often skipped in the Lectionary (from which each day’s are determined). They, too, are “look at me”. In fact, these last 2 verses fit very well with the passage from 1 Corinthians, and even Exodus, so I added them to today’s readings.

    We usually look at the 10 Commandments as a list of don’ts. The 10 Commandments can also be looked at as a list that makes us different. Culturally, the commandments regarding the proper worship of God set the Israelites apart from those around them.

    This carried . What Jesus did? It was not totally outside of the norm for the Israelites, insofar as the history and heritage of prophets. The prophets were known to do odd and strange things, as we are told the disciples remembered.

    As Paul notes, the oddness of Christianity then goes beyond the oddness of Judaism, to the point where Jews and struggle with it. For anyone with a heart for those who don’t Jesus, this is a hard and brutal truth.

    We US Christians have a particular struggle with this. We were so accustomed to a cultural majority (almost superiority) that we are only slowly beginning to see our “strangeness”.  Many of us are negatively responding to what we believe was “the way” of “our” country.

    We had “all” the cards. We had the opportunity to plant the seeds that would develop into a Christian . Instead, we deceived ourselves with a masquerade. As we face our mortality in , perhaps we should face the mortality of the Christian nation that we have held onto for so long.

    Also, it is hard to ignore the mortality of the church as we have understood it for so long. The church—the of Christ—is just fine. Half of the US church is bedridden. The other half is prepping the fields for planting.

    ※Reflection※

    • What ways have you found being a Christian “strange” in comparison to non-Christians?
    • When you read the Scriptures, do you focus on “them” rather than “us”?

    ※Prayer※

    Lord, you have called us to change from working in submission to and being the Spirit-infused influencers of the world. Amen.

  • Is It Yours?

    Is It Yours?

    Genesis 16:1–6; Romans 4:1–12

    Abraham (Abram) did as his wife asked of him (the Hebrew translates to “beseech” or “pray”) and went to Hagar. Unlike Sarah (Sarai), Hagar becomes pregnant. As Sarah was focused on Abraham having children (perhaps more so than Abraham, it seems), you would think she would be satisfied. Of course, with a being the focus of the entire arrangement, it altered the relational structures. Now Sarah’s desires became in conflict with the implicit of Hagar and the son.

    Abraham would, of course, treat Hagar differently. He’d had intimate contact with her, and she was the mother of his son. Based on Abraham’s to Sarah, though, there was still a recognition that this was still not alright.

    In many respects, Abraham (even though he was honoring his wife’s plea) was unrighteous in what he did, at least from our . It was common at the time, though the do say, one man and one woman.

    Yet, Genesis records God considering Abraham as righteous. brings it up, too. The key is that Abraham is credited as righteous (or as Paul states, made righteous). That doesn’t make Abraham righteous in one sense. God “made” or “considered” Abraham righteous, so Abraham was now righteous.

    Paul’s point is that we, like Abraham, are now righteous not because we are, but because we believe in Christ. It’s humbling—or it should be—that the that we (should) cling to is not ours. It is a gift of .

    ※Reflection※

    What is YOUR definition of righteousness? Is your definition of righteousness different for worldly “things” than it is for “Heavenly” things?

    ※Prayer※

    God, thank you for calling us righteous while we are still unrighteous. Thank you, , for working in us to make us more like we ought to be like…Jesus Christ. Amen.

  • Just the Right Size

    Just the Right Size

    Psalm 77; Proverbs 30:1–9; Matthew 4:1–11

    In Through the Looking Glass, Alice comes to a mushroom. Eating from one part of the mushroom causes her to turn into a giant. Eating from a different part she turns smaller than normal. She finally ate from the “right” part and returned to her normal size. Often our image of ourselves is too big or too small, and far too rarely (or for long enough) just right.

    The proper of God and man is critical to our Christian walk. The improper perspective of God and man all too often leads to misunderstandings and walking (or running) from a saving relationship with God.

    The rhetorical asked in Psalm 77:7–9 are often asked by people in trouble. They may not put “God” in the equation, but the question remains the same. God does not reject forever. God does not forget to be gracious. God’s never ends.

    Sometimes we these questions because we have lost perspective of ourselves in comparison to God. In such cases, we have also lost perspective of ourselves in comparison to the world. This does not mean that we are not allowed to have feelings. It is just that we must keep them in perspective.

    Then there is the other version of out of perspective. Agur calls himself the most stupid (or foolish) person in the world. Agur then also belittled himself. This view of being so little is just as bad as being too big.

    There is a balance, though we all vacillate from one extreme to another. It is part of our emotional condition. We just need to aim for the center (the balance), but accept that we will not maintain it, and to give ourselves when we can’t.

    often comes when we think too much or too little of ourselves. It is usually in those times of (that we sometimes wrongly view as strength) that we have the greatest likelihood to succumb.

    As we read the Temptations of Jesus (which were not the only ones; they were just significant as it was the Tempter, the , who was doing it directly), we can see that if Jesus had had an out of balance perspective on his view of himself, he could have fallen. It could be argued that as Jesus is God, Jesus wouldn’t, but that doesn’t deny the reality of temptation.

    ※Reflection※

    • In whose words do you see more of yourself, the Psalmist or Agur?
    • Balance is a powerful and yet dangerous word. How do you pursue balance without the pursuit harming or even destroying you?
    • What do you think of temptation being strongest when your perspective of yourself is wrong?

    ※Prayer※

    , guide our minds and hearts to keep ourselves “just the right size” as we look at your majesty, glory, and creations. Amen.

  • Shun To Death

    Shun To Death

    Psalm 77; Job 5:8–27; 1 Peter 3:8–18a

    . That seems straightforward. However, we beings often make it far too complicated. Or, even worse, we make it about others.

    The Christian is not about others; it is about us. What we do, as the household of God, matters. Far too many people have taken words like Peter’s and turned them into bludgeons and daggers. People have taken these words and applied them to a world that is perishing. Instead, these words apply to us so that we do not continue down the road of the perishing.

    Part of the Lenten “” is the awareness of our mortality. In the COVID era, we are probably a bit more aware of it than we would “normally” be. Barring wartime, there isn’t as much of a focus on our imminent demise as there is now.

    Perhaps the ought to be praising God for a whole year of Lent, though that doesn’t make it easy. Our mortality, organization mortality, operational mortality, the death of have all come. Small Businesses had struggled. Some have died. This is not something to be happy about. Many (but not all) big companies have become stronger. Again, though, Lent isn’t about business (though businesses like to sell it).

    Shunning evil and facing mortality (Lent) is for us.

    Yes, we want the world to come to know and follow ! Much of our worldliness needs to die for that to happen. Perhaps the deepest and hardest struggle we Christians have is, what of our worldliness needs to die?

    ※Reflection※

    • What worldliness of yours needs to die?
    • If you are on social media, look at what you and like. Is it Christ-honoring/following, or is it worldly?
    • How do evaluate what is worldliness and what isn’t? Does your understanding match that of others? Why does it matter? Why doesn’t it matter?

    ※Prayer※

    Lord, we know that our sin was nailed upon the cross. Help us the worldliness in our lives that needs to go with our sin. Amen.

  • Face-to-Face With Jesus

    Face-to-Face With Jesus

    Psalm 25:1–10; Genesis 9:8–17; 1 Peter 3:18–22; Mark 1:9–15

    A number of years ago, I was part of a drama that was really a hellfire and brimstone (or “turn or burn”) presentation. As my theology has deepened, and my wrestlings with the Scriptures have continued, the over-simplification of it bothers me. Much of everything around it now bothers me.

    Despite my misgivings, there was a prevailing Truth that it conveyed. We will all be standing before Jesus at some point, either having made a decision or needing to make a decision.

    There will be some that question the doors that this statement opens. Noah and his , for example, did not know Jesus (as we understand Jesus). They did experience God’s miraculous rescue from the Flood (that some a prefiguring of ). Noah’s faith and trust were enough to carry his family beyond the Flood, but what happens after is something different.

    One of the biggest claims against Jesus Christ being the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and Jesus being the only way to God (and the everlasting life) is this apparent conflict between the unending , , and love God and this restriction.

    Thus, it is not a small thing to seek to understand what about those who don’t have the chance to accept or deny Jesus.

    We have some foretaste of things with the story of Noah. It is, however, the knowledge shared 1 Peter 3 that provides the greatest hint. It is of such significance that the church has alluded to it for over 1600 years in the Apostle’s Creed.

    The Spirit of Christ “preached” to the souls in the realm of the dead. The dead (in case that didn’t hit home…the dead) met Jesus Christ face-to-face. The dead had the opportunity to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior after they died!

    This is not to say that we should just let everyone die to meet Jesus then. Absolutely not! It is, however, an answer to those who question the mercy, grace, and love of God’s .

    Does this give a perfect answer? Probably not. Those who look for any reason not to believe…will not believe. We are only expected to be with and to the .

    ※Reflection※

    • Have you ever had anyone question the “truth” of Jesus when it comes to those who hadn’t had the chance to the Gospel? What was your response? Was it helpful to them or you?
    • Why does an understanding of the Gospel and salvation have an important part of our Lenten journey?

     

    ※※

    Lord, there is no one that you do not want to turn to you for salvation. May we be the vessels of grace and mercy that draw people to the Gospel. Amen.

  • Get Lifted

    Get Lifted

    Psalm 25:1–10; Psalm 32; Matthew 9:2–13

    Have you ever carried something really heavy for a while and then put down? Do you that moment when you put it down? That feeling of ?
    That is should be just a taste of the feeling that the Psalmist brings out:

    The one whose wrongdoing is forgiven,
    whose sin is covered over,
    is truly happy!

    The one the LORD
    doesn’t consider guilty—
    in whose there is no dishonesty—
    that one is truly happy!

    For many Christians, they actually don’t have that release. Those who grew up in the may have never had the kind of they perceived as such a gap between themselves and God. came to through intellectual decisions. As such, they often cannot grasp that feeling either. Another group is the one that cannot forgive itself and so struggles to accept the forgiveness that God has given.

    Lent is a definitely a time to process our mortality and sin which brought death into the world. However, the intent is not to be morbid, it is meant to free us. While we focus on this during Lent, we all (I think) know what ends Lent. At the of Lent is the freeing from the burdens of sin and death.

    The end is what makes the Lent-ing do-able, worthwhile, and not-so morbid.

    Perhaps the invalid was like so many of us in our hearts, to and of God, but something was missing to connect. Maybe it wasn’t just to the legal experts he was speaking to. Perhaps the invalid needed to understand what exactly was meant. His burden was lifted. He was lifted. His sins were forgiven.

    ※Reflection※

    Does being free of you sins really feel (or did it feel) as if a burden was lifted? If not, why not?

    ※Prayer※

    Lord, help us to be weighed down by our sins and our mortality so that we experience (or experience again) the freedom of our burdens lifted by you. Amen.

  • Beyond Confessing

    Beyond Confessing

    Psalm 25:1–10; Daniel 9:1–14; 1 John 1:3–10

    “But if we our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from everything we’ve done wrong.” —1 John 1:9

    Have you said those words to yourself lately or ever? The and in those simple words are awe-inspiring.

    Daniel understood this. He analyzed Jeremiah’s words and recognized that there was no quick way back to the way things were. Daniel, being the faithful God-follower that he was, likely wasn’t eager to the way things were, as they hadn’t been working, especially in regard to Israel’s with God.

    Daniel recognizes—confesses—that Israel went its own way and purposefully ignored the voice of God through the and the prophets. Unlike many people, whether Jeremiah’s,  Daniel’s, or our day, Daniel notes that it is not the fault of God that Israel (or anyone) wanders away from God. Especially in the case of Israel, there was no blaming God. The penalties and (ultimately) exile were the result of the path Israel chose to walk in spite of God’s persistent voice calling them to repentance.

    Repentance may be a bigger stumbling block than confession. The Roman Catholic practice of confession could lead to a confession of words without repentance of the heart. Roman Catholicism isn’t the only one. The opening words of 1 John are stated weekly in the Lutheran churches. Other words of confession are spoken in other liturgical traditions (Orthodox, Episcopal, Anglican, Presbyterian, Methodist, etc.). People say these words, but they may not actually of that which they confessed.

    Most Evangelical traditions, like the Church of the Nazarene, don’t have a confessional creed. The confession has moved into specialized small groups (general Bible studies not fitting that mold), where people actually live life . Here repentance has the opportunity to occur in ways other methods often don’t. In these groups, we can be shaped personally and be held accountable.

    Regardless, if we are not willing to confess, repent, and change, we should really question if we are Christ-followers. Being a Christ-follower means being willing to be changed.

    ※Reflection※

    • Thinking about your confessional, repenting, and changing activities, where can you improve?
    • How would you rate the difficulty of each: confessing, repenting, changing? Why in that order?

    ※Prayer※

    , guide our hearts to confess and repent all that we have done against your will for our lives. Work in us and through in our lives so that we are shaped from the inside out into Christ-shaped people. Amen.

  • So Bright

    So Bright

    Psalm 50:1–6; 2 Kings 2:1–12; 2 Corinthians 4:3–6; Mark 9:2–9

    “From the rising of the sun to where it sets,
    God, the Lord God, speaks,
    calling out to the earth.”
    —Psalm 50:1 [CEB]

    God has never stopped calling out to the earth. Even after humanity’s exile from Eden, God has continually sought humanity.

    There are unique stories in the Scriptures for certain unique people. Elijah was one of them. He had done many miraculous things under God’s auspices. Even his exit from this mortal coil was a miraculous event.

    While we often get “caught up” with Elijah’s being whisked away, it is all that is happening with Elisha that should, perhaps, catch our attention. If you read the story well, you can see that God had let Elijah and Elisha know that “today” was the day.

    Then to make it undeniable, some other prophets were also told (based upon the phrasing, separately from Elijah and Elisha), and they told Elisha. This story may really be less about Elijah than about Elisha. Despite the miraculous, Elijah seems more of the forefather , rather than the main character.

    When Elisha asks for a double portion of the spirit, he is requesting to become Elijah’s inheritor. As Elijah’s “inheritance” is God-imbued and not that of man, it’s hard for Elijah to make that decision. As the story progresses, it becomes abundantly clear that this story is about Elisha’s inheritance from Elijah.

    It may seem that God is not calling out or seeking, yet there is plenty of God moving both from telling Elijah and Elisha that the day is here, to a number of other prophets who also the same thing.  We are often blind to God moving because we have expectations of how God is to move. We can see this in our Sunday Services with the varying traditions from to church, from Pentecostal to Eastern Orthodox. We box-in the movement of God…God will break out.

    Much of Jesus’ ministry was God breaking out of the box that Jewish had turned into. The trip up the mountain turned into another “break out” moment.

    For the 3 disciples, they had their own “Moses” moment. Instead of a burning bush, they were next to a cloud filled with God’s . It might have even reminded them of the story of God’s glory filling the Tent of Meeting in the time between leaving Egypt and entering the Promised Land. It might have reminded them of the story of God’s glory filling the (at the time, newly consecrated) after Solomon’s opening prayer.

    The 3 disciples had plenty that they could associate with this experience. While we might consider them naive in their response, at the same time, they understood that this was not the “same old” experience. They were blessed to “pierce through” the , as Paul calls the “gap” between God and humanity’s perception of God.

    “…He is the same one who shone in our hearts to give us the of the of God’s glory in the face of Jesus Christ.” — 2 Corinthians 4:6 [CEB]

    ※Reflection※

    • When are you guilty of “putting God in a box”?
    • What is (or would be) your response were someone to say to you, “God does not move that way”? Have you ever said something similar to someone else?

    ※Prayer※

    Lord, may we be ready and willing to you where you choose to meet us. Amen.