Passage: 1 Corinthians 10
Notes: The overarching principle in relationships in the church is: be considerate of
others first, even if you're just not sure of where they stand.
Yet:
inanimate objects are not inherently evil, and while you may avoid something for
the sake of another Christian, you have the freedom to eat/use when there's no
danger of offending another's conscience.
Mind the negative example of those
who have gone before us, and live holy lives.
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Saturday, October 6, 2012
Today's Devotional Thought
Passage: 1 Corinthians 6
Notes: Lord, that we would have the gentleness and courage to create a true Christian community that avoids worldly courts of law among ourselves, and lives pure lives. May we be authentic witnesses to your demands, but even stronger witnesses of your good news. Please give us the courage to not modify your gospel to suit the desires of our culture, yet have the wisdom to not pointlessly drive people away from you with sound bites and decisive speech.
Notes: Lord, that we would have the gentleness and courage to create a true Christian community that avoids worldly courts of law among ourselves, and lives pure lives. May we be authentic witnesses to your demands, but even stronger witnesses of your good news. Please give us the courage to not modify your gospel to suit the desires of our culture, yet have the wisdom to not pointlessly drive people away from you with sound bites and decisive speech.
Friday, October 5, 2012
Today's Devotional Thought
Passage: 1 Corinthians 5
Notes: Accommodation is exactly what the spirit of this day would have us do...and don't we have a lot of leaven leavening the dough of the Church today. Yet, how do we avoid legalism on the other hand? Who has the spiritual wisdom and the guts to correctly lead a congregation so that church discipline heals rather than destroys? How will an entire community have the spiritual discernment to differentiate between a 'wicked person' and the one who is genuinely desiring to follow God, but still battling the fleshly nature (as in progressive sanctification)? How would a pastor even broach this subject in a culture that looks to cultural values ("live and let live") over biblical teaching? Yet, how do we avoid abuse in so fleshly a Church if the church attempts to practice church discipline? On the other hand, in a large and more anonymous church, how many people does it take so that "the Church" is making a decision - or will anonymity shield any but the most obviously wicked person? "Not associate with" - where we're not sure, may we err on the side of love and associate, or will we then just ignore this teaching, not really knowing anyone well enough?
Notes: Accommodation is exactly what the spirit of this day would have us do...and don't we have a lot of leaven leavening the dough of the Church today. Yet, how do we avoid legalism on the other hand? Who has the spiritual wisdom and the guts to correctly lead a congregation so that church discipline heals rather than destroys? How will an entire community have the spiritual discernment to differentiate between a 'wicked person' and the one who is genuinely desiring to follow God, but still battling the fleshly nature (as in progressive sanctification)? How would a pastor even broach this subject in a culture that looks to cultural values ("live and let live") over biblical teaching? Yet, how do we avoid abuse in so fleshly a Church if the church attempts to practice church discipline? On the other hand, in a large and more anonymous church, how many people does it take so that "the Church" is making a decision - or will anonymity shield any but the most obviously wicked person? "Not associate with" - where we're not sure, may we err on the side of love and associate, or will we then just ignore this teaching, not really knowing anyone well enough?
Friday, September 21, 2012
Today's Devotional Thought
Passage: John 12
Notes: Worshipping Jesus is not the time to be scrappy, but an opportunity to go all out. While we are called to be stewards, offerings to God, and love for another (even another human?) can be extravagant (God won't run out of resources because we loved too much).
My life is to be an offering to God, to the point that I 'lose out' on life, or even give my life altogether. However, I must be careful to notice where God is working and join in His work. Sensitivity to the Holy Spirit is needed more than strategic planning. Note also, though, that in this same chapter Jesus condoned expressing extravagant love. Losing my life for Him must then not equal a rejection of my family, and failure to care for them, or perpetual unwillingness to spend any resources on them. Our God is not a pauper who will starve but for our resources. Yet, that I would be sure not to love my life too much to lose it.
Do I love the approval of men more than the approval of God?
Notes: Worshipping Jesus is not the time to be scrappy, but an opportunity to go all out. While we are called to be stewards, offerings to God, and love for another (even another human?) can be extravagant (God won't run out of resources because we loved too much).
My life is to be an offering to God, to the point that I 'lose out' on life, or even give my life altogether. However, I must be careful to notice where God is working and join in His work. Sensitivity to the Holy Spirit is needed more than strategic planning. Note also, though, that in this same chapter Jesus condoned expressing extravagant love. Losing my life for Him must then not equal a rejection of my family, and failure to care for them, or perpetual unwillingness to spend any resources on them. Our God is not a pauper who will starve but for our resources. Yet, that I would be sure not to love my life too much to lose it.
Do I love the approval of men more than the approval of God?
Monday, September 17, 2012
Today's Devotional Thought
Passage: John 9
Notes: Have I developed schemas of how I expect God to work, or am I ready to look at His work and receive whatever He chooses to do, and worship Him for it?
What began in unbelief turned to accusing God of sin, reviling the one He healed, and generally turning spiritual leadership into a human endeavor to enforce their belief system about God, or be ostracized and excluded from the community. How deceived and evil we can be once we believe we know it all!
We would be wise to retain the humility of the one still searching for further enlightening, rather than believe we've "got it."
Lord, please help me to always humbly look to you and not build schemas of how you operate and first fail to recognize you, and then possibly fall into all kinds of sin defending my schema.
Notes: Have I developed schemas of how I expect God to work, or am I ready to look at His work and receive whatever He chooses to do, and worship Him for it?
What began in unbelief turned to accusing God of sin, reviling the one He healed, and generally turning spiritual leadership into a human endeavor to enforce their belief system about God, or be ostracized and excluded from the community. How deceived and evil we can be once we believe we know it all!
We would be wise to retain the humility of the one still searching for further enlightening, rather than believe we've "got it."
Lord, please help me to always humbly look to you and not build schemas of how you operate and first fail to recognize you, and then possibly fall into all kinds of sin defending my schema.
Friday, September 14, 2012
Today's Devotional Thought
Passage: John 6
Notes: God draws us to Himself, it's not our ability that brings us to Him (44 and 65).
As I am nourished by Jesus and His teaching, I am able to live as a child of God. Lord, please fill me with you several times a day and year round. I commit to taking the steps that will have me listening deliberately and intently. Help me not to race through those times, buy to drink deeply rather than conquer.
Notes: God draws us to Himself, it's not our ability that brings us to Him (44 and 65).
As I am nourished by Jesus and His teaching, I am able to live as a child of God. Lord, please fill me with you several times a day and year round. I commit to taking the steps that will have me listening deliberately and intently. Help me not to race through those times, buy to drink deeply rather than conquer.
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Today's Devotional Thought
Passage: John 5
Notes: Paul writes to obey the authorities. Yet, Jesus does not appear to extend that obedience to the 1000 steps per Sabbath rule the Jews had come up with. Jesus healed the lame man and sent him off - no hard sell evangelism. When he returns, Jesus tells him, "sin no more." Is here further detail for Peter's "made proclamation to the spirits [below]?" "Jesus didn't judge people" - not according to this passage. Jesus sought to carry out what God told Him to do -> is that what I am doing?
Notes: Paul writes to obey the authorities. Yet, Jesus does not appear to extend that obedience to the 1000 steps per Sabbath rule the Jews had come up with. Jesus healed the lame man and sent him off - no hard sell evangelism. When he returns, Jesus tells him, "sin no more." Is here further detail for Peter's "made proclamation to the spirits [below]?" "Jesus didn't judge people" - not according to this passage. Jesus sought to carry out what God told Him to do -> is that what I am doing?
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Today's Devotional Thought
Passage: John 4
Notes: Someone else planted. The Lord knows how to steer a conversation, even when another tries to derail it by throwing in bait for meaningless argument to avoid talking about where it hurts. The harvest fields are ready now.
Lord, I often feel like I am in a drought-ravaged land, where no one wants to talks about you. Please give me opportunities for witness. You have said that the fields are ready for harvest. Also, please guide my conversations, and give me your wisdom and your words, as well as your love.
Notes: Someone else planted. The Lord knows how to steer a conversation, even when another tries to derail it by throwing in bait for meaningless argument to avoid talking about where it hurts. The harvest fields are ready now.
Lord, I often feel like I am in a drought-ravaged land, where no one wants to talks about you. Please give me opportunities for witness. You have said that the fields are ready for harvest. Also, please guide my conversations, and give me your wisdom and your words, as well as your love.
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Today's Devotional Thought
Passage: John 3
Notes: We are told that most people become Christians when they are children. Nicodemus ask, "...when he is old?" and Jesus answers, "it is possible...when one is born of the Spirit." And when it is God who is doing the work, what do we care about statistics?
Notes: We are told that most people become Christians when they are children. Nicodemus ask, "...when he is old?" and Jesus answers, "it is possible...when one is born of the Spirit." And when it is God who is doing the work, what do we care about statistics?
Monday, September 10, 2012
Today's Devotional Thought
Passage: John 2
Notes: Mary had faith in Jesus to help in ways she had never seen before. God has compassion for us on all of our needs. God is not a pauper. He blesses extravagantly. Access to God in prayer was a serious matter to Jesus that warranted decisive action. -> I will ask God for help for the things I need, and trust Him for extravagant blessings, because He has compassion on His own.
Notes: Mary had faith in Jesus to help in ways she had never seen before. God has compassion for us on all of our needs. God is not a pauper. He blesses extravagantly. Access to God in prayer was a serious matter to Jesus that warranted decisive action. -> I will ask God for help for the things I need, and trust Him for extravagant blessings, because He has compassion on His own.
Friday, September 7, 2012
Today's Devotional Thought
Passage: Ephesians 5
Notes: Are my beliefs, attitudes, thoughts, words, and actions loving? Am I free of immorality, impurity, and greed, filthiness, silly talk, and coarse jesting in what I contribute to interactions, and which interactions I seek out? Am I light in the Lord, filled with goodness, righteousness, and truth? Do I know what pleases the Lord and do it? Do I expose darkness, or just ignore it? Am I deliberate about the use of my time? Do I praise the Lord before others? Am I humbly submissive to others, not just those in evident authority over me?
-> I will schedule to read Ephesians 5 weekly for a while to remind myself of these things and test my life against them.
Notes: Are my beliefs, attitudes, thoughts, words, and actions loving? Am I free of immorality, impurity, and greed, filthiness, silly talk, and coarse jesting in what I contribute to interactions, and which interactions I seek out? Am I light in the Lord, filled with goodness, righteousness, and truth? Do I know what pleases the Lord and do it? Do I expose darkness, or just ignore it? Am I deliberate about the use of my time? Do I praise the Lord before others? Am I humbly submissive to others, not just those in evident authority over me?
-> I will schedule to read Ephesians 5 weekly for a while to remind myself of these things and test my life against them.
Thursday, September 6, 2012
Today's Devotional Thought
Passage: Ephesians 4
Notes: Walking worthy of God's calling - can there be a higher standard?
Humble, gentle, patient, lovingly tolerant, preserving unity diligently, we are to be gifts of Christ to the church, equipping the Body for service (which makes us servants first), goals: unity, knowledge of God, maturity; speak the truth lovingly, dependence on other Body members, replace former behaviors with holiness and righteousness, industriousness to be able to give gifts, speak to edify and bless (give grace), kind, tender-hearted, forgiving.
Notes: Walking worthy of God's calling - can there be a higher standard?
Humble, gentle, patient, lovingly tolerant, preserving unity diligently, we are to be gifts of Christ to the church, equipping the Body for service (which makes us servants first), goals: unity, knowledge of God, maturity; speak the truth lovingly, dependence on other Body members, replace former behaviors with holiness and righteousness, industriousness to be able to give gifts, speak to edify and bless (give grace), kind, tender-hearted, forgiving.
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