Devotion.al

Tag: worthy

  • Red or White?

    Red or White?

    Genesis 18:16–33; Jeremiah 5:1–9; Romans 3:5–24

    God hates me. God would/could never me. God doesn’t care about me. No one can measure up to that standard.

    Any of those sound familiar?

    When we read stories such as Sodom and Gomorrah it is easy to be overwhelmed by the sheer immensity of destruction. Yet, there in the story there something important to read.

    Abraham’s questions about the 50, 45,40, 30, 20, 10 and the to the question gives us some insight. From all appearances, there was one man…Lot. Even Lot’s “” might have more to do with Abraham’s and not Lot’s (see Genesis 19:29).

    From our perspective, what happened seems out of proportion. The ways of Sodom and Gomorrah were obviously long wrong.  God did not do this on a whim. Yet, in the middle of all the wrong, 10 righteous people would have prevented disaster.

    As the of the glory of Judah approached, there, too, was an opportunity to change everything. All it would have taken is one righteous person. As the Scriptures show, however, that was not to be.

    What does this say about us? tells us that it is the very unrighteousness of humanity that displays the righteousness of God. Even in that, there is .

    There is a long list that is part of Paul’s words. It is a list (Romans 3:10–18) condemning humanity for its response to God. Why would God want such creatures?

    If you had someone who constantly said bad things to you, tossed your gifts at your feet (or the garbage), and gave credit everyone but you about the good things you’d done for them, what your response be?

    God’s answer was through the cross. ? We aren’t by any measure of that sacrifice. Truth? God did it out of love.

    ※Prayer※

    Jesus, thank you for the cross. Father God, thank you for your mercy on us. Holy Spirit, thank you for drawing us to you. Amen.

    ※Questions※

    1) When you read Paul’s list, how does it feel? To you feel condemned or judged? Or, do you feel something else?

    2) How does grace and redemption feel in the face of that list?

    3) What do you think your ongoing response should be as a result?

  • Following Further

    Following Further

    Acts 18:24–19:5; 1 Corinthians 3:5–15; 1 Corinthians 3:18–23 (read online ⧉)

    Continuing from yesterday, Peter and Paul were, and remain, worthy examples to follow. In particular, it is their faithful following of Christ and their wrestling with the faith for themselves and .

    Not too long into things, however, already following fell into camps. Peter and Paul were the “original” camps and later, that of Apollos. The separation of camps was certainly not the intent of Peter, Paul, or Apollos.

    The primary concern of the Corinthians was Paul and Apollos. Paul did note that Peter (Cephas) was tied into this as well. One can imagine that the 3 camps were broken into apparently ideological categories: old/Apostolic guard (Peter), Jewish guard (Apollos), Gentile/revolutionary guard (Paul).

    Was this really the case for these 3 men? Neither the nor Church histories provide any evidence of it. This was something that likely started with and attraction.

    We see this today, as people will follow a particular pastor. If that pastor moves on, so do they. We also often seen this camp development as a precursor to church family splits.

    People will settle into camps over many issues: political party, environment, , taxation, “freedoms”, immigration, world events, and so on. People will often find and focus on more that divides, rather than unites.

    In this environment of being divided and then further subdivided, and then divided again, followers of Jesus should buck the trend and figure out how to unite. Currently, we are on the same path as the of the world in that regard and that does not.

    We also know from the Scriptures and Church history that the early leaders did not all agree on everything at all times. Yet, their paramount allegiance was to Jesus Christ.

    One could dismiss their agreement on the reality that they were oppressed or at least strongly opposed. If that’s the case, perhaps instead of greater , we should pray for further difficulty (dark humor).

    It wasn’t easy to stay unified. It also isn’t as if they were unified on everything. They were being unified over Jesus, which is all we can really of one another. That isn’t happening today.

    As we always look for and at those who are one step ahead of us, we must still keep our eyes upon Jesus. The person we follow may turn away, and if we blindly follow, we too will walk away from Jesus. Keeping our eyes upon Jesus will help keep us going toward him, and not away.

    ※※

    Jesus, while we look at others to help us in our Christian walk, help us to keep our eyes on you. Amen.

    ※Questions※

    1) Which people are you watching or following right now? How do they lead you to Jesus?

    2) Is Jesus (not “being Christian”) your lens when looking at and listening to others?

    3) How do you converse generously in love, , and mercy with others whose understanding of following Jesus is different than yours?

  • Ways of Speech

    Psalm 1; Exodus 13:3–8; Hebrews 1:1–4 (read online ⧉)

    There is no one way that God speaks, and no one person by whom God speaks.

    The author of Hebrews recalled all the prophets that we have in the Scriptures. In addition, there were the Jewish leaders and teachers that went before that the author also had in mind. Often we think only of the great and lesser prophets (those we have in the Scriptures), and less about those who guided both the collection of the Scriptures, recognition of God speaking through certain Scriptures, and who guided those that followed after them.

    The church really is no different in that regard. Sometimes they are called the Doctors of the (those whose thoughts are foundational of Christian thinking and theology). Sometimes they are called theologians (people who study the work of God). Sometimes they are called philosophers (those think about meaning). Sometimes they are called pastors. Sometimes they are called believers.

    Often God speaks through people in a still small voice that we do not recognize as being God until long after they have gone. Sometimes we don’t recognize those that have spoken God into our lives, and we may not until we reach the other side.

    Jesus, however, was something altogether different. In the other 2 Abrahamic traditions, Jesus is only a prophet. This is important for prophets are fallible people, just like you and me, even while they are inspired by God. If Jesus is only a prophet, then we have a problem. If Jesus is who he says he is, then we are blessed to know him.

    In this of many voices, we can be drawn away from God at anytime. It is only by knowing and trusting him that we can maintain our walk with him. This is where we often have to choose and it may feel like we are just stabbing in the dark. This is also where we need to walk alongside one another to lift up and encourage one another in the faith.

    Precious , we give you all the glory and we can, even when we feel as if we are not worthy of your love. Jesus, we thank you for the life of love that you lived for us, that we could ‘s love lived out. , continue to counsel us into the perfect that is you, the Triune God.

    1) In the current crisis, what doubts do you struggle with? How are you managing them?

    2) Who, in your life, has provided the greatest impact regarding your walk with God?

    3) What do/would you say to someone that believes that God no longer speaks or that does not believe that God ever spoke?

  • HE IS RISEN!

    Psalm 118:1–24; John 20:1–23; Colossians 3:1–12 (read online ⧉)

    What a day!

    Most of us have lost a loved one. It is hard. Sometimes we have been present when they died, sometimes we weren’t. How deep the ache depends on the . Even with people we barely knew or lost touch with, there is still a feeling of when they die.

    All of them were still in shock. The women had a (culturally assigned) task to do, and that was perfume ‘ body so that his body wouldn’t smell as bad as it decomposed (yes, it is that basic and gruesome). They had a task which, as hard as it was, provided something to do and help process their loss. The male disciples didn’t have that. They got to and stare at each other, with each one probably more at a loss than the .

    And then their whole world got turned upside down…again!

    HE IS NOT HERE!

    HE IS RISEN!

    Shock. Joy. Shock. Disbelief.

    And then…now what? What does this mean?

    We often skip verses 19–23 on Easter. However, note the timing of the commissioning of the disciples. It’s still the Day of . Still. The day is not yet over. Doing something is not in the . It is now.

    Peace, sent, receive, forgive. Not quite the normal order that we think of when it comes to the disciples being commissioned, and perhaps the order isn’t quite as important as when they were commissioned. Everything thing has just been turned upside down…go and do likewise!

    This immediacy even translates later when writes to the Colossians. He calls on them to forego their ways of old, because they are saved (and with Christ) now. It’s not that we wait to be saved, or wait to go tell others, when we have it down, when we’re perfect. There is no step beyond our at which point we are free or commissioned to share about Jesus. At the point of our salvation, no later, are we to start talking about Jesus.

    No matter how you feel about yourself, whether you are worthy of Christ (you aren’t), or whether he loves you fully (he does), go and talk about Jesus.

    1) Why do you think Jesus commissioned the disciples so soon after his resurrection? In today’s world we often provide “space” to “process”. Jesus didn’t do that. What does that tell us?

    2) Paul tells the Colossians that they are being renewed in according to the image of God they already have. Why is that an important concept and awareness for us?

    3) Jesus was killed by Jew and Gentile. Jesus came to save both Jew and Gentile. If there really is a both/and, why did the church divide then, and why does it divide now?

  • Humble Joy

    Proverbs 15:29–33, Zephaniah 2:1–4, Luke 1:26–38

    Yesterday, it was hinted that is a requirement to experience true (Godly) . If you didn’t catch that (or didn’t read yesterday’s devotional), that’s perfectly fine. Humility as part of Godly joy is front and center today.

    In Proverbs, we read two things to focus on today. First, that God is far from the wicked. This is one of those strangely worded passages that doesn’t mesh well with how we actually view God. God is always present, even among the most wicket of all. It is the wicked whose hearts, souls, and minds are far away from God, and in typical pride, it must mean that God is far away from us. This is why the (as is understanding truly who God is compared to who we are) of God and humility are so important. If we are so arrogant so as to believe something of God that is really about us, then we have a lot to .

    Humility seeks God before self, which makes things much easier for us when asked by God to do hard things. It also makes it easier when we have to decide between the world and God. As Zephaniah says, when we submit to God in humility, recognizing who is God and who is not, we to God so that God will do great things.
    Mary is a symbol of that humility. She didn’t understand what was happening. Let’s be honest with ourselves, we wouldn’t be any better than she was. However, her humility meant that God moved into the world in a new way through her. While we should not elevate Mary too much, she is still a example to follow when it comes to aligning ourselves with God’s plans.

    Ultimately, Mary’s humility gave her a Godly joy that none of us could ever truly understand. Mothers get a large portion of it, but not even they can say that they were the mother of God or the Messiah.

    1) Have you ever been asked by God to do something that required submission of your will in deep humility? Did you follow it? Why or why not? What was the result of that decision?

    2) We look back on Mary’s and read what we’ve learned and believed into it. Why does that often minimize Mary’s actions and ?

    3) What is the difference between humiliation and humility? Why do we often confuse the two in regards to our decisions?

  • Deepest Hope

    1 Samuel 1:12–20, 2 Kings 4:8–17, Hebrews 11:32–40 (read online ⧉)

    For many people having a child is the deepest yearning that they have. Not everyone is able to have children. Some have gone through miscarriages. Many more have gone through stillbirths. Still more lose their children when they were young. When dreams of our deepest longings are destroyed, often soon follows.

    Hannah was not able to conceive. This created a trial for her. Her fellow wife made her miserable and used her own children as emotional weapons against Hannah. Hannah’s husband probably felt as lost as Hannah did. While he did have children with his other wife, his hurt for Hannah. It would seem, on its surface, to not have been the best experience between Hannah and Eli. In fact, Eli did not seem to be much of a spiritual counselor, but more like a grumpy old man. Regardless, Hannah took something away from that encounter, and the weight in her heart was cast off. She had hope.

    The Shunammite woman (oddly, never named), too, wish for a child. In an echo of Abraham and Sarah, apparently he (at least) was old. A child seemed out of reach. In the case of Hannah, wasn’t mentioned, implying that she would be unable to explain the situation. The Shunammite woman, on the other hand, had a rationale for her lack of hope. She “knew” that things had passed a point of no . Elisha was able to restore that hope with a . What she had experienced with Elisha is open for thought. Whatever her experience with him allowed her to his words, and to have hope.

    The author of Hebrews is trying to instill this same kind of hope into believers who are feeling under pressure and persecution. The writer, through the examples given, shows that God is of having hope in. Not the weak hope of a wish, but the firm hope of knowing that God is there, and working in and through all things, even when we don’t understand, and especially when it is scary and it hurts.

    1) Have you ever had a hard time you had to have hope in God to make it through? What was it like to have that hope?

    2) What do you think the key to having hope and trust in the darkest parts of ?

    3) Why do you think “ to life” is important concept in hope?

    FD) What do you do to have hope when you are struggling?

  • Blessed Title

    Luke 1:39–45, Luke 11:27–28

    Mary was indeed blessed to be ‘ mother. In fact, like many mothers, she was blessed. Motherhood is a . It can be a huge blessing. It is also a heavy weight to carry.

    It is a blessing to be a mom. Yet, often the title of mother takes over the person, to where who the person was before being a mom disappears.

    The reality is that this occurs with many positions and roles: president, general, governor, and so on. The person who was gets lost in the position. We can see it on the news with the behavior of many (more than 4 or 5) world leaders. We see it with celebrities and company executives. People forget the person they were.

    Titles are great, but titles are nothing in the of Heaven.

    “…blessed are those who the of God and keep it…”

    1)Have you have pursued a title or position that you wanted really badly? How did the pursuit go?

    2) Have you ever defined yourself by your roles, career, or titles? Why? Which one means the most to you?

  • Stone to Grace

    Exodus 28:15–30, Ezekiel 36:24–30, Luke 3:7–9, Luke 19:37–40

    “I’ve done too much.”

    “God would never forgive me.”

    “I would be [struck by lightening/catch on /combust/die] if I walked through the doors.”

    “If you (or God) knew what I had done…”

    Have you heard any of these statements from people?

    It is so completely to not understand God’s amazing grace. It is even more human to not accept it.

    The stones representing the tribes of Israel were only a mere representation. Yet, as the story of Exodus continues into Lamentations into Judges, the people of Israel often seem to have brains and/or hearts of stone. How sad! We all, at times, have hearts of stone. Look how we treat one another. Our hearts could easily be stone (metaphorically, of course).

    The metaphor of a heart of stone has a couple of facets. The first, facet is that stone does not “live”. The implication being that we aren’t as God intended. We are dead. The second facet is a heart that does not feel. One of the biggest struggles that humanity faces is and grace. As the comments at the beginning show, we often have neither compassion nor grace for ourselves, and then we treat others the same. The third facet and God’s greatest concern is that a heart of stone has no active part in God or God’s will.

    Ezekiel’s words were intended to show that God was willing (and planning) to things up. The Holy was coming.

    John’s words to the descendents of Israel alluded to Ezekiel’s words but even touches on the place of the stone tablets upon which the 10 commandments were written. For the descendents, there would also be an attack on their pride. THEY were the of God. John pokes a huge hole in their pride. God doesn’t need them (he still wants them). The stones the walk on could be as as them. They would have felt that in their bones.

    During ‘ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, stones come up again. Instead of merely being prideful due to heritage, Jesus talks about stones giving praises to God. Were the hearts of the leaders so dead that they could no longer give praise and glory to God? That’s the implication. Yet people if God has a place for them? If God can make stones into “true” descendants of Abraham and into people who praise and glorify God, then why not?

    1) What lies have you heard people tell you (but mostly themselves) as to why God would not accept them?

    2) What can you do to change the narrative about God and the overwhelming grace of God?

    3) What do you do to keep your heart from being so concerned about “God’s work” that your heart becomes hard toward God?