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Devotion.al

Tag: truth

  • Die to Resurrect

    Psalm 98; Micah 7:7–9, 18–20; 1 Timothy 6:11–20 (read online ⧉)

    Micah’s unwavering loyalty and trust in God can be hard to swallow for many. Micah believes that he can wait for and trust in God.

    What is fascinating with Micah’s words is that he admonishes his enemy who is gloating over Micah’s fallen state. Micah doesn’t defend himself. In fact, he openly and forthrightly acknowledges that he has sinned against God. What a fantastic pattern that we should all follow! When we hide our sins in the dark, they can fester and rot deep within us. Yet, when we shine the light on them, they cease to rot. The consequences may be awful and shameful, but the light cleanses them.

    Micah owned his transgressions. Micah owned the consequences.

    Micah believed that God would redeem and rescue him. He had decided to wait upon God’s timing for his restoration. That is often courageous for us when we are in the midst of trials and tribulations. Micah was in the middle of them, too.

    The redemptive expectation that Micah had of God was immense. He understood that God’s grace and mercy were beyond comprehension. In addition to his own redemption, he looked to the redemption of his people…of God’s people. Micah understood that the people were far off from God. Micah also understood that God’s faithful and unfailing love was always waiting to Resurrect the repentant heart.

    While the Jews had the Law to define the particulars of their holy calling, gentiles (non-Jews) still had the Imago Dei (the Image of God) in them telling them deep down what they were doing was not in line with the Creator of the universe, even when they didn’t understand. Hence that is why Paul talks to Timothy about fleeing from much of what is common to the temptation of humankind. Timothy was both Greek and Jew (thus dirty to both “sides” of the family). He probably has some awareness of the Jewish Law, but he would have also been quite familiar with what was common (and considered acceptable) in Greek/Roman circles.

    Thus Paul was calling Timothy to something greater than either bloodline or culture. He was calling Timothy to Jesus Christ. When Paul recalls Timothy’s “good” confession. Instead of confession, a better (and longer) way of saying it would be a strong, firm, public declaration of allegiance. Timothy had (effectively) declared that Jesus Christ was more important than all of that, and Paul was holding him to it. Timothy, as the “successor” to Paul and a leader in his own right, was to hold on tight to what he “confessed” he believed, and to not let others draw him away.

    Paul reminded Timothy that all that was going on now was in preparation and was before the age to come, the age of Resurrection. The underlying truth being that if Timothy let go of the faith in the here and now, the age of Resurrection might very well not come to him.

    Timothy may not have had the depths of pain that Micah did, though it’s likely that his heart was broken at the (martyr’s) death of Paul and other Christians. For Timothy, the Resurrection life held hope in the midst of pain. The Resurrection life that Micah was expect was, without question, different in scope than Timothy was expecting. Both, however, were dependent upon a relationship with God.

    God, may we continue to place our sins and failures before you in hopeful expectation, not to avoid the consequences of our actions, but to restore and maintain right relationship with you. May your father’s heart continue to be gracious to us. May the sacrifice of you, Jesus, continue to remind us of the cost, drawing us closer to you through the counsel of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

    1) How do you balance the fear of and concern for punishing or consequences with hope and faith with God?

    2) The life of a Christian is full of many little deaths. What is the latest death that you have experienced that has drawn you (or is drawing you) closer to God?

    3) There is an old saying that a coward dies a thousand deaths, and a hero only one. What is the difference between that and the deaths that a Christian experiences?

  • Expecting or Distracted?

    Psalm 51:1-12; Habakkuk 3:2–13; John 12:1–11

    It is so easy to be distracted from the important things in life. Some blame electronics. Others blame the media. Others blame no prayer in school. Others blame a culture that has walked away from its somewhat Christian-ish roots. There is nothing new under the sun when it comes to human behavior.

    O Lord, I have heard of your renown,
    and I stand in awe, O Lord, of your work.
    In our own time revive it;
    in our own time make it known;
    in wrath may you remember mercy.

    The opening stanza of Habakkuk’s song tells us that our disengagement from God is nothing new. Habakkuk calls us to be in awe of God. If you’ve ever had the Blue Angels or Thunderbirds fly over you in formation, you’ve had that sense of thunder through the entirety of your body. The jet wash passes over you. The sound overwhelms you. Plus the smell (which you may not like) of burnt jet fuel. There is an almost instinctual resonance to such an experience. Multnomah or Snoqualmie Falls with the spring runoff can do the same with the overwhelming volume of water, both noise and sheer amount.

    All of that pales in comparison to the awe that we ought to feel when we contemplate God. As we wait for Christ’s return we, like Habakkuk, want God to make his glory undeniably known, and that his overwhelming wrath to overcome sin and evil, with a lot of mercy. While we may not be overwhelmed by God, there still appears to be that wiring inside of us that is looking for it with hopeful expectation.

    Hopeful expectation.

    The Jews, under Roman occupation, were waiting for something. Some didn’t know what they were waiting for. Some were waiting for a revolution. Some were waiting for a Messiah. Those waiting for a Messiah—a savior—had a hopeful expectation.

        “You came forth to save your people, to save your anointed.” [Habakkuk 3:13]

    1. Are you being truthful to yourself when say, “I’m waiting expectantly for Jesus to come back”?
      • If not, what is keeping you from seizing the truth that Jesus is coming back?
      • If so, what can you do to build up the expectation in others?
    2. The power of Good Friday (the day Jesus was crucified), is followed by the blessing of the Resurrection. Yet the Resurrection is not the end. It is only the beginning. How is the Resurrection the beginning for you?

  • Who Hears? Who Speaks?

    Psalm 22:23-31; Genesis 16:7-15; Mark 8:27-30 (read online ⧉)

    Ishmael. God Hears. How amazing is that? God—the Creator—hears.

    Hagar had run away. Sarai treated her poorly to such a degree that Hagar felt that the wilderness was better than staying (initially, at least). Feeling so overwhelmed by life and circumstances is not unfamiliar to many of us. In fact, feeling overwhelmed seems to be characteristic of the modern life.

    We don’t have the words Hagar cried out, if any. Regardless of whether it was words, wails, or the silent cry of her heart, God heard her.

    God asks her, “…where have you come from and where are you going?” God knows all. God knows the answers to both of those questions, yet still God asks. God is letting Hagar know that He is actively listening to her. He is open to her pouring out her heart. Just like each of us, it is better to put words to things and letting them out, rather than shoving them into the darkness of our hearts, letting them fester and rot.

    Other times we need to speak the words so that we embrace their truth. Jesus asked his disciples who is. Peter declared, “You are the Messiah.” This was no small declaration. Depending on the hearer, that could result in serious consequences. Declaring with his lips, Peter embraced the truth that his heart was telling him.

    Words have power. They can bind us. They can free us. They can bring the hidden into the open. God is waiting to hear our words.

    1) When you pray privately, do you speak out loud, or only think quietly? Why?

    2) While God can hear the cries of our hearts, why might it be important to speak words, rather than just think them?

    3) Why might it be important to know that God hears us?

  • Otherly Holiness

    Psalm 22:23-31; Genesis 15:1-21; Romans 3:21-31 (read online ⧉)

    In Genesis, we read of the covenant God made with Abram. When we look at the blood and sacrifices from a modern perspective, it is easy to be repulsed or disgusted by the concept. In Abram’s time, this was a normal way to seal a covenant.

    A covenant is a promise. When making a covenant such as this, there were two parties, the strong party and the weak party. If was often an agreement where the strong party would agree to defend and/or take care of the weak party, and the weak party would submit—both in authority and tribute (i.e., think taxes)—to the strong party.

    If we think of this logically, then, God would take the role of the strong party, and Abram would take the role of the weak party. However, in this instance God takes the place of both parties. Abram is more of a witness to the making of the treaty, rather than a party to it. How can God take the place of both roles? This is a foretelling of what is to come.

    For generations, God protected and watched over Abram’s descendants. Even when they wandered or ran away from God, God still was watching and caring.

    In Romans, Paul writes: “…since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; they are now justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a sacrifice of atonement by his blood…”

    This is where we can see the submitting party of the covenant. Jesus Christ’s perfect submission to God’s authority, and sacrifice of himself, fulfills the weak party’s role. It is, of course, just an analogy, yet there is a huge truth in this. God created the universe, yet because we are unable to save ourselves, or able to fulfill the entirety of God’s holiness, Jesus took our place, and fulfilled the requirements of submission and tribute.

    We, like Abram, are often more witnesses to God’s holiness and fulfillment of his righteousness than actual participants of either. Yet, we are called to be holy.

    1) What do you think the responsibilities are of a witness? Are fulfilling them?

    2) When you think of God being both the strong and weak party, what comes to mind?

    3) How does it make you feel to understand that God took your place as the weak party?

  • Deserting or Desserting

    Psalm 77, Proverbs 30:1–9, Matthew 4:1–11 (read online ⧉)

    If your were present at the Ash Wednesday service or the past Sunday service, you may recall that in Lent we witness and experience a symbolic representation of Jesus’ trial in the desert, and the biblical concept of 40 days as a significant time of transformation. For Jesus, it was a condensed time of temptation. It is not to say that Jesus was never tempted outside of this trial, but to emphasize that it was a short time, and was severe.

    Matthew notes that Jesus fasted for 40 days.

    Fasting can take different forms. Certain traditions fast from meat, eggs, and/or dairy certain days or time periods. Other traditions (think Judaism) fast from leavened (yeast raised) bread. Fasting can be from sunrise to sundown; it can be a meal; it can be for days. The intent behind fasting is to bring us closer to God by using one of our basic needs (nourishment) to use as a focus on God.

    40 days is a long time. Without question, this is a God-empowered moment. Most people do not have the will power, or the ability, to fast for such a long time[1]. Some may question what Jesus fasted from. Based on the scripture, food was the fasted element, for we read that Jesus was hungry, and this was the first temptation that Jesus was presented with.

    You want some bread?

    Agur (whose words are in Proverbs 30) speaks of a huge truth that is core to much of a God-balanced life. He says, “…feed me with food that I need, or I shall be full, and deny you…”. Agur probably could not have imagined those 40 days. Agur was likely familiar with hunger (perhaps even severe hunger, bordering starvation) and at least the example of those over-fed. Yet, Jesus took Agur’s words a step further, making it a point that God’s very words are food. They are food to bring us a life beyond satisfying the body.

    A spiritual desert is often a time (or multiple times) in a person’s life when they feel furthest from God. That does not mean that God is any further (really), it is a matter of perception and perspective. People may experience a spiritual desert in times of great trial (starvation). They might experience it when everything is going great (over-fed). These times can be huge in one’s personal affections and relations with God. However, if we listen to the adversarial voice, we might succumb to the voice that says “I” can do it without God.

    1) Re-read Psalm 77:6. How could these words guide you in light of your own times in a spiritual desert?

    2) If you have never fasted, why not? If you have, did you find it helpful?

    3) How is fasting or the “desert” related to “dying to self”?

    [1] Any fasting beyond sunrise to sunset should be prayerfully and wisely considered. Anyone under 18 or over 65, pregnant or in another physical state needing regular physician care should consult with their physician. From a spiritual standpoint, it is wise to speak to someone who cares for your spiritual life. While fasting is personal, and shouldn’t be publicly declared, having wise spiritual counsel is good to make sure the intent is truly God-focused.

  • The Tension of Pain and Joy

    Job 4:1-21, Psalm 77, Ephesians 2:1-10 (read online ⧉)

    Job’s friend, Eliphaz, was one of 4 friends that came to visit Job in his time of trouble. While, ultimately, they misspoke of God, at other times they spoke truth of God and Job. Eliphaz told Job that he was a teacher of God and a faithful believer. Wouldn’t we all want people to say these things of us? Yet, then he lectures Job about Job lamenting his situation. This exact pattern is something we have all experienced, and probably even followed.

    There has been a tendency to lecture people who are in emotional, spiritual, and/or physical pain that they need to be more joyful, more trusting, more faithful. When we look at all the woeful, lamenting words of Job, including even his questioning of God (and where God was in all of his troubles), Job did not sin. It is not to say that Job never sinned, but in the words that we have from him, he did not sin. There is something important here. It is okay to mourn, grieve, lament.
    Part of Lent is the aura of mourning, grieving, and lamenting. The overarching theme of Lent is that we know what is coming, Good Friday. The reason for Good Friday is worth mourning, grieving, and lamenting. The reason is sin. Sin was so deep and so pervasive only God breaking in could fix it. On the cross, the Son of God died.

    Under it all, it wasn’t that Job stopped trusting God, it was that he was hurting. Despite the anguish of Lent, underlying it there still remains truth and joy.

    “…God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ…”

    We must disregard the mourning, grieving, and lamenting of Lent, for when we do, we undermine the truth of Good Friday.

    1) Do you find it difficult to be joyful while grieving, mourning, or while in pain?

    2) At what point, do you think, our lamenting (grieving, mourning or pain) turns into something that dishonors God?

  • Trust, Truth and Restoration

    Daniel 9:16-19, Psalm 25:1-10, 2 Timothy 4:1-5

    Daniel knows that God is holy and righteous. Daniel knows that the people of Israel are in exile and hopeless because they chose to ignore God and the many prophets that He sent. They chose to follow their leaders who looking to earthly things to gain personal value and power. Daniel understood that the current situation was a consequence of unfaithful behavior.

    Yet, Daniel had enough trust in God to know that God would listen and that God, ultimately, wanted Israel restored, not just as a nation or people, but as a people of God. Daniel understood that it would only by God’s mercy that Israel would be restored. He was confessing on behalf of an entire people that they had missed the mark, yet he still asked.

    1) In Psalm 25:6-7 (NIV), the psalmist writes, “Remember, LORD, your great mercy and love, for they are from of old. Do not remember the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways; according to your love remember me, for you, LORD, are good.”
    Just like Daniel, the psalmist was appealing the consequences based upon God’s mercy and love, knowing that both preexisted the errors of the psalmist. Daniel, too, that God’s mercy and love existed long before he did, or the tribe and nation of Israel existed. The underlying thought here is that there was something that needed to be forgiven; there was something that needed to be repented of. Is there something that you think could be a problem, but aren’t certain that it is a problem that God is concern about? Bring it to God, anyways! That small thing could very well help you heal in other areas in your life, or God may use it to show you what is really hampering your relationship with Him.

    2) In 2 Timothy 4:1-5, Paul is warning Timothy that people will get to a point where they will not listen because they don’t want to. It is no different than what the people of Israel had done for generations prior to their exile. The very things Daniel was repenting of. We are often quick to say that there is false teaching all around us, even in our church!

    Have you thought there was false teaching? What did you do?

    Do we ever call something false teaching that does not conflict with scripture, but appears to conflict with our understanding or traditions?

  • Follow the Call

    1 Samuel 2:27–3:18, 1 Samuel 16:1–13, Matthew 7:15–27 (read online ⧉)

    Often we are oblivious to God’s blessings. We succumb to the world’s perspective that things “just happen” and we “earned” it all. While in some regards there is truth in the world’s words, there is a conflict between the underlying great Truth that undergirds many of the world, and Christians. Much of the world believes that there is no God or (at best) God “set and forgot” the world and walk away. Christians, on the other hand, believe that God is active and moving in the world, especially through the work of the Holy Spirit who works through each of us.

    Eli was aware of God. Yet, he chose to disregard God’s blessings by allowing his sons and servants to ignore the Law about the sacrifices. What Eli was thinking is not written in the Scriptures. His response was either fatalistic or more along the lines of disbelief. One would think that disbelief was far from Eli’s thought process, especially with the morning’s revelations from Samuel. There is no sign or mention of repentance. Yes, Eli was upset with his sons, just not upset enough to place God before them.

    The story of Saul follows a somewhat similar line as Saul’s behavior was a lack of faith in God. That lack of faith removed the kingdom of Israel from Saul’s (and his descendants’) hands before it was even firmly established. Saul’s efforts were vapor in the wind. Still, he strived and strived. Despite having had God-directed encounters, unbelief still ended up sending him down a path that wasn’t what he wanted.

    Sometimes God calls us to great things. Sometimes God calls us to small things. From small to large, God calls us. Sometimes what we think are great things (that are beyond our abilities or gifts) are really only a collection of a lot of small (even tiny) little faithful steps of following God’s call on our lives. Sometimes it is only when we look back and see the little things stack up that we realize how large and great God’s call was on our lives.

    No matter what stage of life we are in, we are always called to follow God into new things.

    1) What do you think Eli’s s struggles were based on? Pride? Unfaithfulness? Tiredness?

    2) Have you had a refreshing of God’s call on your life? If so, what it is? If not, will you pursue it?

  • Blowing Smoke Into Our Own Eyes

    Isaiah 30:8–13 (read online ⧉)

    Hearing the truth about ourselves is often uncomfortable. We like to hear good stuff, but do our best to avoid that feels bad, or might cause us to look at ourselves badly. We are not alone. When Isaiah is sent to confront the Israelites with a bad report, you can imagine how well it was received.

    Who wants to be called a rebellious child, except for those who take pride in being rebelling. Rare is the person who wants to be called deceptive. Yet rebellion and deception can often be attributed to ourselves. It never feels good to confront it. The reality is that rebellion and deception often go hand-in-hand. Where we can lose a little bit of the meaning is that sometimes the deceiving is of ourselves, leading us into a life or choice of rebellion. That’s where the words in Isaiah go. People didn’t want to hear the truth. They want to be lied to rather than having to deal with the truth.

    In the current separated world that is the “United” States of America, there are many prophetic voices speaking out with the heart of Jesus Christ. However, even they have become blind. Whole swaths of people are challenged for a single point of politics or policy, while their own politics or policy have their own parts that are not in line with Jesus Christ. In many respects, the Israelites had it easy.

    Christians are called to love, starting with one another. Yet, what is love? How is loved lived out? In fact, our understanding of love may very well affect the love of Jesus Christ that comes from us. That is potentially the biggest problem of all. People can disagree on the right (and Christian) way to help a person get out of poverty (for example). Their perspectives may be very different. That doesn’t mean that one is right and one is wrong. Our world is very much playing the zero-sum game. In other words, somebody loses. All too often, Jesus Christ gets lost in the mix and noise.
    The church and its people must begin to focus on Jesus Christ. That’s obvious, you may say, but it really isn’t. If you love Jesus Christ, you can’t support (some person). That’s the way things are currently going. We no longer show grace and love to those of different politics. We’ve lost our first love.

    1) Think of your least favorite politician. Can you say, I love you (their name)? Do you think Jesus can?

    2) Redemption and love flow through the Scriptures. How should that affect our view of ourselves? How should that affect our views of others?

    3) Why is it important that politics can play a useful role in expanding the Kingdom of Heaven here on earth? What is the (ongoing) danger with that same thing?

  • Full Sanctuary, Empty Hearts

    Ezekiel 33:30–33, Matthew 15:1–9 (read online ⧉)

    Let’s be honest with ourselves. Let’s look at ourselves. Let’s look at the lives we lead, the lives we live. Is it us that God is talking to Ezekiel about?

    Reading only the surface of the Scriptures, of course not. The Israelites had turned prophets into spectacles. Perhaps the merchants and peddlers followed the prophets hawking their wares. Perhaps the people’s hearts were so calloused that even the words of God—sharper than any sword—could not carve the hardness away. Pastors, preachers, teachers, prophets, evangelists, apostles all speaking the Word of God, and no one listens. Truly listens.

    When hearing the word of God, do the people respond even with a heartbeat, or does it just go in one ear and out the other? God’s word never returns void, but the human heart often wants nothing to do with feeling the Creator of the universe actually love them. Sound crazy when said that way, yet we look at the world and come to no other conclusion. The sad part is much of that same lack of response occurs in the pews on Sundays. Yes, it’s true. People are concerned about others falling asleep or being on their devices, but the truth is that sometimes sitting there “listening” is a more deceptive behavior than anything else.

    The words in Ezekiel continue with empty and pointless worship. Jesus’ words in Matthew while echoing Isaiah also echoing Ezekiel. How many people don’t worship God when singing the songs? How many even listen to the songs?

    As Jesus continues on about traditions, are Sundays or Saturdays the “right” tradition for a day set aside for God and rest (Sabbath)? Is it which songs are song, or which words of God are repeated?

    1) If you are concerned about other people worshiping or listening to the word when you should be, what might be the problem?

    2) How do worship traditions strengthen your faith? How could they weaken it?

    3) How are the essentials for worship defined? Who defines them?