Devotion.al

Tag: word

  • Companion of Peace

    Companion of Peace

    “I have said this to you, so that in me you may have . In the world you face persecution. But take courage; I have conquered the world!”
    —John 16:33 (NRSV)

    I think it’s interesting that we see the “persecution” in this translation. Persecution at its base is ill treatment or harassment. We have seen this for many in our world and especially in the US this last year. Maybe you have even felt persecuted in some way or another in this last year or at some point in your .

    It’s not a great feeling. In fact it downright feels terrible. It feels pretty disheartening to see it happen to as well. I’m betting, like me, over the last year you have wondered where the peace was in our world.

    The reality? Our peace doesn’t come in or from this world. Our peace comes from . Even when our world is in shambles – our peace and the peace that everyone needs comes from Jesus. That is why it’s so important to tell everyone about the peace that Jesus can bring and already has brought us. That’s why it’s so important to tell everyone about Jesus. What He is doing in your life!

    That’s right! Yes, Jesus can bring us peace. But we have to that Jesus has already brought the peace. Jesus conquered the world. Jesus defeated . For us! For you, for me, for our neighbor. We don’t have to be afraid, or disheartened, or face persecution alone because of what Jesus did for us. And this brings peace.

    Take courage. Find peace in the fact that Jesus came so that we might have life and have it to the full. So that we might have peace in the face of some really tough circumstances where we see persecution around us or in our own lives. Take courage. Take peace. And then that peace to someone else that needs it just as much! We all need Jesus. We all need peace – especially now.

  • Have Hope; Give Hope

    Have Hope; Give Hope

    “The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute and righteousness in the land.”
    —Jeremiah 23:5 (NRSV)

    Let’s be honest. This hasn’t been a very -filled year. No graduations, weddings, births, vacations, holidays, etc. Probably the last word you would use to describe this last year was a year of hope. There didn’t seem to be much to hope for.

    And yet. God still brings hope. Through Christ – God brings hope. This season as we anticipate the magical time with our families and the birth of our Branch – and in every season even when we have a hard time seeing that hope.

    Sometime this week or in the coming week I am going to you to do two things:

    Write down a list of things you hope for in the coming year. What do you hope in your with God? What do you hope for your family? What do you hope for in your friendships? What do you hope for in work or in your personal life? What are the things you hope for in this coming year? Write that list down and hang it up somewhere you will see it often. Pray about those things. Allow God to be a part of it all because ultimately God brings the hope we desire and seek out in all areas of our life.

    Figure out a way this advent season to bring someone hope. Maybe you know someone who needs a meal. Maybe you know someone who could use a bending ear and are lonely. them a call and just chat with them and pray with them. Maybe you know someone who is in desperate need of the hope of Jesus Christ. Invite them to whether in person or to watch online with you in your home. Extend the same hope that God gives to you to someone else this month.

  • Firm Hope

    Firm Hope

    “Therefore say to them, Thus says the Lord God: None of my words will be delayed any longer, but the that I will be , says the Lord God.”
    —Ezekiel 12:28 (NRSV)

    How long have we been stuck in phase 2? I mean. By the time you are reading this there is a chance we could be in phase 3. But if you are like me—you probably doubt it.

    How long have your children (if you have kids or teens at home) been doing school from home?

    How long did you have to (at the beginning of all of this) to see your or friends?

    How long did we wait to find out who the next president was? As I am writing this they still haven’t progressed (3 days later).

    It’s been a year of waiting. It’s been a year of promises or words that were spoken about all of these things and more and yet not knowing when it will actually happen. Waiting is the worst. And as a general public…we don’t like to wait. Do you?

    And yet that is what God’s people did. Wait. For a King to come them. A King that came as a tiny baby. Have you ever held a tiny, newborn baby? They are so fragile. My husband won’t hold any newborn (outside of his own and only out of necessity) because of how fragile they are. He doesn’t want to “break” them. And this is how our King came! This is how Israels King came. This was to be their they were waiting on!? Yes!

    I am so thankful we know the full story because if we lived back then – we might have been upset or doubted too! But , our true hope, came. No waiting for us.

    So in this season of uncertainty and waiting. Fix your eyes upon Jesus and the hope that He brings to us not just every Christmas, but every day—every moment.

  • Circling Vultures

    Circling Vultures

    Matthew 24:36–42; Luke 17:11–37

    One of the most famous concepts in Times thinking is those “left behind”. Part of the was the “Left Behind” series. It was also the dramatic portrayals of how two people would walk together, and one would just disappear. As an unbeliever, that always sounded…strange (okay, maybe crazy).

    The problem with just that concept was, well, a deliberate misreading of the . If you’re feeling a little attacked by this, my apologies. The problem is that the trope of half of the world’s population disappearing became so ingrained, that it became difficult to ourselves from it (self included).

    Last week in Thieving , we talked about the Day of the Lord. And here we are again. The Day of the Lord is the backdrop to these words of . In this case, the Day of the Lord is more specifically a day of judgment and destruction.

    Contrary to the standard “left behind” thinking, those left behind are those that survived. Those that are gone are those who have died. The words in Matthew imply a lack of salvation by tying it in with the Flood of Noah’s time. The words in Luke are tied to Sodom and Gomorrah. Yet again, no salvation seems to be tied to those that are gone.

    There are other verses in the Scriptures about some sort of rapture. They are all in ‘s writings. Yet, it is these in Matthew and Luke that have garnered the most attention and are the least likely to draw the conclusion of a rapture event…when read in context.

    Sometimes God can use our misreading to actually draw deeper insights. We do have to be aware of misreading Scripture. What is often the case is that we get those “aha” moments when we’ve read a verse many times before, and either a different catches our attention, or we it read out loud. It’s times like this that we begin to grasp the that God’s word is still alive and still speaking.

    ※Reflection※

    When was the last time you were surprised by the Scriptures? How did it affect your understanding of that passage? Did it affect your understanding of God?

    ※Prayer※

    Jesus, you call us to be . Help us to be ready for your return and insights from your Word. Amen.

  • Saintly Ones

    Saintly Ones

    Matthew 5:1–16; Revelation 7:1–17

    ※ Q: What is a Saint? ※

    You would think that this question is easy. However, the meaning of depends on the context and even timeframe.

    Chasid (חָסִיד) and Kaddish (קַדִּישׁ) are the Hebrew words that are most often translated as saint (not always, though). Chasid (חָסִיד) means faithful or devout ones (with the implication being toward the ).  Kaddish (קַדִּישׁ) means holy ones or people of the holy ones (yes, we could, but perhaps shouldn’t, infer the there).

    Hagioi (ἅγιος) is first seen in Matthew 27:52 and used to talk about those who rose from the dead upon ‘ . It is most used by to refer to the (what became) Christians in his letters. It became generally used that way by the other New Testament writers and the . In Revelation, the word becomes expressly tied to those who died as martyrs.

    ※ Q: What does it mean to be a saint? ※

    If you’ve been in the church any length of time, saint can be applied to a person of significant patience. It is also applied to many that have been in the faith for a long time and have gray or white hair (the hair color, of course, is important 😉). However, that is probably a bad way of thinking about it.

    If we were to tie both the Hebrew and the Greek together, we would probably get an approximation of people whose relationship is with God through faith in Jesus Christ and for whom this is their primary .

    ※ Q: Are you a saint? ※

    ※Prayer※

    Holy , guide into a relational identity with the , through the Son. Amen.

  • Can God Get A Witness?

    Can God Get A Witness?

    Deuteronomy 9:25–9:29; Titus 2:1–15

    wit·ness: One who can a firsthand account of something seen, heard, or experienced.

    Deuteronomy is, in effect, the “Last Will and Testament of Moses”. Moses provides a contrasting snapshot of the Israelite and the Mosaic witness. The Israelite witness was unimpressive at best, worth destroying(?) at worse.

    What was their witness? Stubbornness, wickedness, and sin.

    The Mosaic witness? Yep, they are stubborn, wicked, and sinful. Please love them, be gracious to them, and have on them anyway. Do this for the of your holy and to fulfill the promises made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

    admonished Titus to teach those in his care “…so that God’s will not be slandered.” Paul continues, “Your message is to be sound beyond reproach, so that any opponent will be ashamed, because he doesn’t have anything bad to say about us.” Even slaves were to be “demonstrating utter faithfulness, so that they may adorn the teaching of God our Savior in everything.”

    This passage in Titus can be used inappropriately. Paul’s focus isn’t explicitly behavior, but how God’s word, teaching, and message comes across to others. All the behaviors weren’t a list of dos and don’ts so much as a be aware of the witness you are giving to others about God.

    ※Questions※

    What is your witness? How do you witness? Why do you witness?

    ※Part of the Post-Communion Prayer, 2019 Book of Common Prayer※

    And now, Father, send us out to do the work you have given us to do, to love and you as witnesses of Christ our Lord. To him, to you, and to the Holy Spirit, be and glory, now and for ever. Amen.

  • Good Gone Bad

    Good Gone Bad

    Mark 12:1–17; Matthew 10:5–7; Matthew 17:24–27

    Within the context of ‘ earthly ministry, the primacy of the remnants of the Israelites cannot be denied. Jesus calls them the “lost ”. Their place is significant to God, for they are even called by God’s (2 Chronicles 7:14).

    The tragedy of it all is that while they are still children of God, Jesus identifies them as strangers (or foreigners) to God. We might use the word estranged.

    were truly foreigners to God, insofar as God did not choose them to bear the name of God. Due to choices and behaviors, it came to the point that the Jews were such, too.

    What’s interesting is the Temple Tax. It was a tax from Exodus 30:11–16. Every man of the of 20 or over was obliged to pay it annually. It was also called the “atonement” tax. It was used to take care of the tent of meeting (later the Temple). Its spiritual purpose was to remind the Israelites that their lives needed to be atoned for.

    What is also interesting is the backdoor way Jesus was asked…using Peter. There is also the that Jesus hadn’t paid it, or that they watched Jesus so closely that they knew he hadn’t yet paid it. Either presupposition leads to interesting conclusions. However, it is Jesus’ response about strangers and sons that should catch our attention.

    Some commentators infer that Jesus paid the Temple Tax to fulfill all (tying language to the of Jesus). Jesus, however, doesn’t seem to have that same understanding. He sounds more condescending (“just to not offend”), though it is more likely a battle that is not worth fighting, and it’s a simple barrier.

    Jesus’ response might imply that the tax was out of date. In Exodus, the tax seems tied specifically to the Tent of Meeting. So, once the Tent of Meeting was done with (i.e., the Temple was built), the tax was done with.

    This reminds me of the Maple Street Bridge in Spokane, WA. When it was built, there was a toll booth. The was that the booth would be removed when the bridge was paid for. It was. In comparison, other public toll bridges that I’m familiar with still have tolls, and those tolls are tossed into the public fund, not the bridge operating fund.

    This is not to pick on them, but to show that we have similar examples in our lives. The tolls, no longer needed for their original purpose, are now moved to other “needs”. The same about the Temple Tax perhaps. The implication is pretty strong, though, as this ties into Jesus’ declaration about the Temple Courts being a den of robbers (Matthew 21:13).

    ※Prayer※

    Jesus, us of anything we hold onto as good that has become bad in our lives. Amen.

  • Work-Out Regimen

    Work-Out Regimen

    Luke 7:36–50; Philippians 2:12–16

    The scorn of the Pharisees toward was pretty easy to see. They were effectively declaring that Jesus could not be an actual true prophet, because he dared to accept the anointing by the woman. “If he only knew what she was like,” they said.

    Jesus did and her anyway. He didn’t her any less or any more because of her “unclean” state or status. He loved her because she was a person made in the image of God.

    A more recent way of that exact same thinking is, “when you get yourself cleaned up, come to church, and get to know Jesus.” Or (even sadder), “I’ll come to church when my act is cleaned up.” That was not Jesus’ attitude. THANKS, BE TO GOD!

    The woman came to Jesus. Jesus declared her sins pardoned. She never sinned after that. Oh, …

    For the vast majority of people, “getting clean” is a lifelong process. For a drug addict, “getting clean” from the drug is only step one. They then need to “get clean” from friend circles, ways of thinking, and sometimes the physical place they are at. It is not an easy road.

    Oddly enough, Jesus seems to forgive sins pretty easily. It’s not that the sins are minor. They are acts that us from God. The problem isn’t God, it’s us.

    We want to keep doing what we did because it is comfortable. Even those who seek and desire change (and are even change-agents) like comfortable.

    calls on the Philippians not just to declare Jesus as Lord. Paul calls on the Philippians to be changed. Just like us, they needed to change their habits. They need to change thought processes. None of these things change salvation. They change us.

    “…by holding firm to the word of life.” There is a play on words here, for the word is the message (salvation through Jesus), the word is the Scriptures, and Jesus is the word.

    The easy answer is to hold onto Jesus for dear life. The life answer is that holding onto Jesus allows us to him so that we are free in our hearts and minds to remove all in our life that separates us from wholeness in him.

    ※Questions※

    1) When was the last time you were like the Pharisees? Why is that the issue that causes this ?

    2) When was the last time you were like the woman? With what did you anoint Jesus’ feet (this can be a symbol)?

    3) How and with whom are you working through your salvation? How can you deepen that?

    ※Prayer※

    Jesus, as you have brought us into the light, help us to release our so that we can draw to you. Amen.