Daily Devotion - Saturday, September 15, 2018

John 11:45-52 (NRSV)

“Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him. But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what he had done. So the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the council, and said, 'What are we to do? This man is performing many signs. If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and destroy both our holy place and our nation.' But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, 'You know nothing at all! You do not understand that it is better for you to have one man die for the people than to have the whole nation destroyed.' He did not say this on his own, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus was about to die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but to gather into one the dispersed children of God.”

What do I do, how do I react, when God is working differently than I think He should?  What do I do when I see things happening that I think will hurt the work of God in my world?  Perhaps what is happening seems to have some goodness associated with it, but I keep thinking about how it is damaging the system that is set in place.  If it is allowed to continue, it will mess up life for us.

The Pharisees knew that which side they would take.  They would stand against what God was doing and kill off the messenger.  “…it is better for you to have one man die for the people than have the whole nation destroyed.”

God is not in the business of building nations.  He gave the Israelites that opportunity, and they decided they didn’t want to follow God, they desired a king – and it all went down hill from there.  By the time Jesus came, the state of Israel was merely a piece of the Roman government.  The religious and civic leaders were attempting to hold on to the tiny bit of identity they had. 

God wasn’t then and isn’t now interested in national pride or identity.  God is interested in the redemption and reconciliation of His lost children.  He doesn’t care with what nation you are aligned.  He doesn’t carry a flag.  His pledge is simple: “For God so loved the world that He gave…”  His anthem is sung by followers of every nation for almost two thousand years: “Holy, holy, holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might; heaven and earth are filled with your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.”

The beautiful truth in this story shines through the unknowing prophecy that Jesus would die for the sins, not only of the nation of Israel, but of all of the children of God.  God works not only in spite of those who stand against them – sometimes He works through them.  I do not give up hope because we seem to be going the wrong way.  Our hope is not in religious leaders, but in the ONE to whom our allegiance lies.  Our hope lies in God alone.

Daily Devotion - Wednesday, September 12, 2018

How valuable is life?

Sometimes we need to sit with this.

When end of life decisions had to be made for my mother-in-law, we talked. We prayed. We listened to doctors, to social workers, to those who had more information than we had.  Ultimately, we made our decisions based upon the wishes she had expressed.  She came home with us, and we knew that she came home to die.  It was a medical decision. It was a family decision.  It was her decision.

It was, and still is, a decision that causes me to ponder – sometimes to struggle.

I struggle and I ponder, because even though I believe we did what was best, LIFE IS PRECIOUS. The value of a life cannot be measured in terms of medical diagnosis, convenience (or inconvenience), or even personal desires.  We muddle through our end of life decisions trusting that God will guide our choices and cover those for whom we pray.

Psalm 49:7-8

“Truly, no ransom avails for one’s life,
    there is no price one can give to God for it.
 For the ransom of life is costly,
    and can never suffice…”

These statements, made by the psalmist, were written to remind us that the riches of human beings are not enough to purchase the soul from God.  Life is precious.

How does this understanding affect our daily lives?  How does this affect me?  Is this something I pull out only when needed – the death of a loved one, a political talking point?

How do I see my neighbors – not so much the well-to-do homeowners who live next door; but the middle aged man holding a sign on the corner, the obvious addict making a scene at the store, the children running around with nobody paying any attention?  Is life still precious when it affects my own costs?  If I am asked to pay a little more in taxes to ensure that a child has medical insurance, is that life still precious?  What if I am asked to give up a bit of my comfort in order to share my space with someone who “isn’t quite right”?  Is life still precious?

This is why I must spend time pondering the reality life.  I can never purchase my life from God.  I can never buy the privilege from Him of minimizing the life of another.  I cannot ransom myself.

Jesus knew that life was precious.  He demonstrated this through healing the sick, caring for the outcast, and ultimately paying the price for our redemption – our ransom. Jesus set aside His personal comfort, He invested His personal resources, because Jesus knew the value of life.  As a Christ Follower, I must learn to do the same.

And so I ponder.  Life is precious.

Daily Devotion - Friday, September 7, 2018

Job 19:1-7,14-27 (NRSV)

How do we respond when we find ourselves in a crisis situation outside of our control?  How do we “fix” what cannot be changed?  How do we make things better when we are unable to stop that which is making them worse?  We find ourselves crying out in despair, “Lord, have mercy!” We have no other place to go, no one else who can make things right.

What happens when the One to whom we turn seems to be the One who is causing us the pain?  We hear from friends and strangers “If only…”  If only you had more faith.  If only you prayed a bit harder.  If only you had been faithful.  As if God singled you out from among all of the humans walking the earth to be deserving of the suffering you are experiencing at this moment. 

We all fail.  I often think of Paul’s statement: “There is no one who is righteous, not even one…”  We may not choose to live in that failure, we may seek God immediately when we fall, but we all fall.  We all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Thank you again, Paul, for this important reminder!).  If our failure were the cause of suffering, then we all would find ourselves suffering.  If repentance were the solution to suffering, then all of us who have repented would find ourselves free from trouble. 

Sometimes bad stuff happens.

The power of the story of Job lies in the power of what we don’t know, what we don’t control.  We are reminded that our circumstances may not be determined by our righteousness. (Remember, we are discussing our circumstances rather than the consequences we all suffer as the result of our less than perfect choices.)

Yet in the midst of Job’s suffering, in the midst of all that he did NOT understand, Job makes this incredible statement:

“O that my words were written down! O that they were inscribed in a book! O that with an iron pen and with lead they were engraved on a rock forever! For I know that my Redeemer lives, and that at the last he will stand upon the earth; and after my skin has been thus destroyed, then in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see on my side, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. My heart faints within me!” (Job 19:23-27)

Job didn’t understand why.  In fact, nothing in the book of Job indicates he was ever given a reason.  Job didn’t like his circumstance.  He knew it wasn’t fair.  Yet in the midst of the suffering, the confusion, the misguided messages of his friends, Job knew God.  He knew that God was His Redeemer.  He didn’t know how it would all work out.  He didn’t receive renewal and strength from His statement of faith.  He just knew the truth, even in the midst of his suffering.

I think we do too.  I think often we forget, we set it aside, we moan and groan and look for solutions.  But at the end of the day – at the end of our words and resources – we recognize that God is our Redeemer.  If we need a way out, He will be that way.  We have nothing more.

May you and I remember today that God is our Redeemer, that He lives, and that – no matter what circumstances we may encounter – He will stand.

Daily Devotion - Friday, August 31, 2018

John 7:37-43

37 On the last day of the festival, the great day, while Jesus was standing there, he cried out, "Let anyone who is thirsty come to me,38 and let the one who believes in me drink. As the scripture has said, 'Out of the believer's heart shall flow rivers of living water.'"39Now he said this about the Spirit, which believers in him were to receive; for as yet there was no Spirit, because Jesus was not yet glorified.40When they heard these words, some in the crowd said, "This is really the prophet."41Others said, "This is the Messiah." But some asked, "Surely the Messiah does not come from Galilee, does he?42Has not the scripture said that the Messiah is descended from David and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David lived?"43So there was a division in the crowd because of him.

How often we are like the crowds!  God brings to us Good News!  Jesus speaks words of life!  “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, and let the one who believes in me drink!”  And instead of receiving the Good News of Life God brings through Jesus, we argue about whether the messenger is worthy of being the messenger.  There is division in the crowd…there is division in the Church.

Today we have the opportunity to look at the important message Jesus brings.  Are you thirsty?  Are you needing more?  Is your soul dying from lack of the Spirit?  Jesus calls us to come, to drink!  We don’t have to remain thirsty.  We can be satisfied.

How interesting that the crowds – especially the religious leaders – argued about the qualifications of Jesus rather than examining His words by the Scriptures they had already been given.  God spoke through the prophet Isaiah when He said:  “For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour my spirit upon your descendants, and my blessing on your offspring.”

God promised to quench the dryness, to bring the water of His Spirit upon the offspring of Abraham.  Jesus spoke the truth, but the message was lost in argument over the worthiness of the Messenger.

God often chooses to speak through the unexpected – through those who don’t seem to fit with God’s profile.  Perhaps we would do well to take the time to listen to the message – test the words to see if they are from God.  If they are, we need to set down our pre-conceived ideas of how God is going to speak, and receive the truth He brings.

Are you thirsty today?  Is your spirit longing to be renewed?  Jesus has a message for you.  He has made a way, and if you ask, if you come to Him, He will give you what you need.  Out of your heart will flow rivers of living water.

Daily Devotion - Tuesday, August 28, 2018

Psalm 46:1-7

Fear is a powerful emotion.  Because of fear, we react in ways we would normally avoid.  Anger flares, we hide, we lie.  When we are afraid, we generally believe we have two choices:  we can face and conquer our fear, or we can run and hide from it. 

Some incredible and encouraging statements have been made using analogies of fear:  Forget Everything And Run, or Face Everything And Recover.  We generally respect those who face their fears and accomplish great things in spite of them.  We are silent (at best) and often critical of those who choose to run from or avoid thinking about their fears.

Fear is a powerful means of manipulation and control.  Others use our fear to motivate us to do what they want us to do.  We find ourselves in the midst of a battle before recognizing (if we see it at all) that the battle is falsely created.  It didn’t have to happen.

The psalmist recognized that fear overpowered one’s ability to see clearly.  When difficulties are happening around us, when nations are in an uproar (wow!), when kingdoms are tottering, our natural reaction is to fear.  How can we fix what we cannot control?  How can we make the right things happen when the wrong seems so strong?

“God is…a very present help in time of trouble.  The Lord of hosts is with us.  The God of Jacob is our refuge.”

Aren’t those nice words?  When we are feeling good about life, we read this and think “Yes!  God is with us.”  But what happens when we are in the midst of earth shattering, kingdom tottering, national uproar?  What happens when people are dying from lack of care, families are being separated, war is knocking at the door, and the life we have known is being threatened?  Does it matter that God is with us?  And God may be with me, but is He with those who are being harmed?

These words are more than nice words.  These words speak truth.  God is our refuge and our strength.  God is a very present help in time of trouble.  We don’t have to react in fear but can recognize that God is.  God knows.  God loves.

God is with me, but is He with others?  Yes!  Because YOU are with others and the Spirit of God lives in YOU.  When you walk with others, you bring the Presence of God to them.  You cannot fix them.  You cannot fix the situation.  But your presence brings God’s Presence.  The peace of God at work within you brings His peace to those with whom you walk. Living the reality of God in us, God present in us, brings peace that conquers fear in us, around us, and through us.

“God is…a very present help in time of trouble.  The Lord of hosts is with us.  The God of Jacob is our refuge.”

Daily Devotion - Tuesday, August 21, 2018

John 5: 30-47

I’ve been struggling lately with my motivation.  Why do I do the things I do?  Why do I say the things I say?  Motives are tricky.  Just when I think I know that my motives are right, a bit of pride sneaks in and here we go again.

Jesus speaks to the religious leaders about motivation.  Jesus is motivated by one thing:  doing the will of the Father.  What He does is from God.  What He says is from God.  He has no desire to speak on His own behalf.  He doesn’t need the praise of other people.  Jesus knew His mission; to speak and to act the will of God.  He was deterred by the negative reactions of His detractors.  He wasn’t distracted by the positive comments of His followers.  Jesus lived out daily the will of God.

This makes me want to be like Jesus.  I want to live free of the need to convince those who don’t approve of me.  I want to serve God without needing the encouragement of those who agree with me. (Just a note:  I can – and should – learn from those who see things differently than I see them.  I am – and should be – grateful for those who see the good and validate the call God has given me.)  I want my motives to be pure, not self-seeking, but seeking God alone.

Daily Devotion - Sunday, August 19, 2018

Mark 5: 25-34

Now there was a woman who had been suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years. She had endured much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had; and she was no better, but rather grew worse. She had heard about Jesus, and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, for she said, “If I but touch his clothes, I will be made well.” Immediately her hemorrhage stopped; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. Immediately aware that power had gone forth from him, Jesus turned about in the crowd and said, “Who touched my clothes?” And his disciples said to him, “You see the crowd pressing in on you; how can you say, ‘Who touched me?’” He looked all around to see who had done it. But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling, fell down before him, and told him the whole truth. He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.”

Have you ever noticed how prolonged suffering can bring shame and humiliation?  I was speaking with two women; one who had “graduated” from transitional housing and was now able to provide housing for herself and her two children, the other a current resident in a transitional living home for women and children.  They both spoke of the shame they felt when they were “exposed” to others as “homeless women.”  Both of these women were hard workers, trying to provide for their children without the support of a partner.  Both of these women lived in one of the most expensive housing areas in the nation. Both of these women felt judged and shamed because they were unable to do the impossible.

I love the story included in the Gospels.  A woman, called “unclean” by all the people around her, excluded from family life and religious life, judged by all and living under a shroud of fear and shame; this woman maneuvers her way through a crowd of people to touch the hem of a man who has healed so many others. Her feelings of unworthiness, of uncleaness, kept her from seeking Him face to face. Does her inability to face her own situation keep her from experiencing the healing power of God?  Don’t we often insinuate that we must “walk boldly” to receive what we need?

Jesus heals this woman in her shame.  Jesus heals this woman of her shame. “Daughter…go in peace…”  What incredible words spoken to someone who has heard only rejection and disgust.  She has been told to go, to leave, many times.  But it has been a long time since a Rabbi spoke the words “Go in peace.”

Jesus has come to bring healing to all that we are:  our bodies, our souls, and our spirits.  Jesus calls us to seek Him that we may be made whole, that we may find peace.  Jesus takes our shame, our sorrow and our sickness and replaces them with healing and peace. We can come boldly, knowing that He understands; but when we are to injured to be bold, Jesus meets us right where we are.

May we find in Him what we need today.

Daily Devotion - Saturday, August 18, 2018

Acts 7:30-34

“Now when forty years had passed, an angel appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in the flame of a burning bush. When Moses saw it, he was amazed at the sight; and as he approached to look, there came the voice of the Lord: ‘I am the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.’ Moses began to tremble and did not dare to look. Then the Lord said to him, ‘Take off the sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy ground. I have surely seen the mistreatment of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their groaning, and I have come down to rescue them. Come now, I will send you to Egypt.’”

As we look at this passage, ponder for a moment the words God speaks to Moses: “I have surely seen…I have heard…I have come down…I will send you…”

The enslaved people of God did not realize they were the people of God.  Their enslavement was all that they could see. 

But their inability to see God did not prevent Him from seeing them!

God heard the groanings of His people.  Their worship was not what attracted His attention.  The sound of their singing or the piousness of their prayers were not heard.  God heard the groanings of His people; the sounds made by those who are so burdened they have no words to speak, no prayers to pray.

God came down to rescue them.

Do you see the reflection of the Gospel story in this passage?  We read about God’s response to the suffering of His people and how He chose Moses to be their rescuer.  And we see a picture of what is to come.

From the beginning, God has seen the affliction of His people.  He has heard their groanings.  And He has come down to rescue us.  This is Jesus. Jesus has come to rescue us.  We don’t have to see God – sometimes we can’t see anything beyond our own situation.  We don’t even have to sing the right songs or pray the right prayers – God hears our groaning.  He has come down to rescue us. 

Jesus has broken the power of the sin that enslaves us and has set us free.

“…I will send you…” to tell what God has done in your life, to share the message that we no longer must remain slaves.  The price has been paid for our freedom.  The power of God is available to all of us, if we will just receive it.  We can be free.