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?

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.

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?

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.

Today's Devotional Thought

Passage: Ephesians 3
Notes: Knowing Christ is a gift we receive through His Spirit whom He has given to us according to the riches of His grace. There is no ability or supply shortage - He provides both. Let's ask Him with faith to let us know Him in his fullness.

Today's Devotional Thought

Passage: Ephesians 2
Notes: We sometimes struggle to associate with those far away from God. Yet, they are the ones the holy, pure, and perfect god LOVES, and they are the object of His grace.
Good works are not a nice-to. He has already prepared things for us to do - let's make sure we know what they are and actually do them!
We are one temple with the worst of sinners. Lord, please help us to love our fellow Christians and those who until now are still far off with your love.
Lord, please fill me with your love and help me keep my eyes peeled for the good works you have prepared for me to do today.

Today's Devotional Thought

Passage: Ephesians 1
Notes: Truth - we are the recipients of EVERY SPIRITUAL BLESSING! (3)
Command - we were chosen to be HOLY and BLAMELESS before God. (4)
Truth - we exist (live) for the praise of the glory of his grace. (6) -> how then shall we live to fulfill this charge? That's why He gave us the Holy Spirit! (13-14)
Truth - Wisdom and revelation of the knowledge of God come in response to prayer - even intercession from others (Paul). (17) -> what an important charge to us!
Lord, please help me to faithfully fulfill my mission of living in such a manner that you will receive praise, and interceding for others (and myself) that they may increase in the knowledge of you - and give praise for their love for you!

Today's Devotional Thought

Passage: Jeremiah 52
Notes: One has to wonder whether Zedekiah ever repented once he sat in a prison cell in Babylon, looking at his utter failure, never again able to see, haunted by the memories of the last days and hours he did see. Thank you, Lord, that we can come to you for forgiveness. Please help me seek your face regularly so I may not stray from your direction. May I also tell the story of your forgiveness to those who can't imagine it is available to them.

Today's Devotional Thought

Passage: Jeremiah 50
Notes: Being the foremost military power in the world is meaningless if God has decided that your reign is over. Babylon fell because of her worship of other gods, and as punishment for her destruction of God's temple and His people. Aren't we also addicted to persistent idolatry in our worship of our possessions and perpetual entertainment?

Today's Devotional Thought

Passage: Jeremiah 47-49
Notes: Even those who do not profess the God of Israel are held responsible for their disobedience to their maker. Three are promised return, and God pledges to defend the orphans and widows of Edom. -> Nations that are not God's Display Nation (us, too!) are still held responsible for their disobedience. While we are not called to legislate non-Christians into acting like Christians, we should be clear in our message that God is not giving unbelievers a free pass at disobeying Him, especially in their treatment of the weak (widows and orphans). That latter part should also be a warning regarding our own priorities.

Today's Devotional Thought

Passage: Jeremiah 46
Notes: Human solutions - like Judah's alliance with mighty Egypt - are false securities. Egypt, too, is under the judgments of God. Israel, on the other hand, whose situation (exile) looks hopeless, can yet look to God for a future. -> put your trust in God only, even when human solutions seem surefire answers.

Today's Devotional Thought

Passage: Jeremiah 45
Notes: Early in Jeremiah's ministry, God gives guidance and a promise to his servant Baruch: even though the content of the prophecies may be depressing, and even though Baruch may be giving up dreams he had for the future, God assures him His providing in the future he will actually experience. What a gift of compassion to receive in the dark times they lived in! -> The same God who had compassion on Baruch is our god in the difficult times we live in. He is still just as compassionate, and we can trust Him to care for us according to His wisdom.

Today's Devotional Thought

Passage: Jeremiah 41
Notes: The 80 men from Shilo and Samaria comprehended that it didn't take a building for them to be able to worship in Jerusalem. The carnage and destruction of the Babylonian attack produced fear and disorder, but not a searching for God in many of the remnant in Judah. God did not supernaturally stop the evil, looting, and piracy - the mass murderer escapes with most of his men. -> tragedy will not automatically produce a turning to God among a people that had abandoned Him, and God may not force Himself on them, but allow the evil to pursue their desires, which may also hurt some who do want to return to God.

Today's Devotional Thought

Passage: Jeremiah 38
Notes: When your situation seems hopeless and weak people fail to protect you and evil people try to destroy you, count on God to be faithful and provide you with salvation even from unexpected sources. Note that even after miraculous salvation from certain death, you may still find yourself in a prison cell.

Greetings! ... The Lord is with you.

Mary asked the angel, "But how can this happen? I am a virgin."
The angel replied, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God. What's more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she has conceived a son and is now in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God."
Luke 1:34-37 NLT

Am I too young and inexperienced? Have I waited too long, and everyone else is far ahead of me? Nothing is impossible with God!

"He is not guilty of any crime."

Jesus' barbarious whipping and torture is sandwiched between two professions from Pilate, "He is not guilty of any crime" (John 18:38 NLT) and "I find him not guilty" (John 19:6 NLT). Earlier, Peter was trying to go down fighting as he attacks the high priest's slave (John 18:10). But when Christ calls us to suffer with him, it is not with swords (or guns) and earthly power, but according to his example: love, forgiveness, and enduring unrighteousness. As we put our allegiance in the king of the universe, we will naturally conflict with the powers of this world, and ultimately Satan. Their verdict will not always be truthful, "he is not guilty of any crime." Regardless of their assessment, we have reason to expect suffering. Yet, we know him through "fellowship in His suffering, being conformed to His death" (Philippians 3:10 NASB).

Do Not Judge, Lest You be Judged

"Do not judge, and you will not be judged; and do not condemn, and you will not be condemned; pardon, and you will be pardoned."
Luke 6:37 NASB

Therefore, any judging is wrong and to be deplored. Right?

Then why might Jesus say,

"Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment."
John 7:18 NASB

Why does Paul tell the church in Corinth

"For I, on my part, though absent in body but present in spirit, have already judged him who has so committed this, as though I were present."
1 Corinthians 5:3 NASB

If I am going to be a witness to others with the goal of them becoming part of the family of God, I will have to come to a conclusion whether I believe they are already Christians or not. Otherwise, I'd have to treat Billy Graham and Michael Newdow the same. Equally, if a church is going to practice the biblical mandate of Church discipline, it will be impossible to treat any action we didn't commit ourselves as morally neutral or beneficial.

We should heed what Jesus taught us in Luke 6, in particular what he says about mercy. Yet, building a nugget theology of "any judgment of what things are like at any time is to be deplored" will not make us more, but less obedient to Scripture. It'll merely make us pander to the Zeitgeist.

Lord, Save Us From the Knock-out Punches

How often have you received this e-mail?

Christian says...
Muslim says...
Christian says...
Muslim says...
Christian says...
Muslim says...
Christian delivers knock-out punch line...
Muslim has no response.

How I wish we could make these e-mails go away. First off, I doubt many of them ever happened. Maybe more importantly, things don't work that way. Do we really think that very many people will want to get to know the 'God who is love' when their experience with his followers is that of an intellectual argument - which in our e-mail, they lost?

And yet, we keep reading them and forwarding them with gusto. Trust me, if Jesus had e-mail, he'd hit 'delete.' He may click "unsubscribe," too.

On Our Knees

There was a significant line in a dramatic presentation we had at church last Sunday. I remember it like this:

American Christians would rather live standing that die kneeling.

That would be our problem.

I'm assuming that the idea behind the quote is supposed to be that we don't just give ourselves up and submit to another power (in this case, the entire Bristish fleet). Before I get back to those two alternatives, let's consider the words die and kneel.

Die

• I have been crucified with Christ. Gal. 2:20
• If anyone would come after me, let him [...] take up his cross. Matt. 16:24
• "We will abandon it all for the Sake of the Call." (SCC)
  

Kneel

• So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him... Matt. 18:26
• The twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne... Rev. 4:10
• I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it... Mark 11:20
• You do not have, because you do not ask. James 4:2
  

I believe that the statement above is a statement of pride and self-reliance. I do not believe that the alternative is one of subjugation (and what I'm about to say is more general in nature, and not intended to be an answer to defending a country). Our problem as Christians is that we are too often characterized by our desire for comfort, entertainment, and riches, gained by our selfish efforts, and not primarily by being people on our knees, unable to help ourselves, but imploring our Father who alone is able, too rarely a people ready to die, giving up our priorities for his purposes.

Addendum: For those of my readers who will feel that this is an attack on their patriotism, the sacrifice at Fort McHenry, or the "Star Spangled Banner" itself: what if the answer of the lawyer had been, "we believe that what you're about to do is a great injustice, and we pray that God will help us to not be overcome, despite the size of your navy?" Same patriotism, different attitude?

Problem of Evil

One of the issues considered in one of my classes was “the problem of evil.” Simply stated, why is there evil in this world when an Almighty God can (and clearly many times does) intervene? Assuming that He does intervene, why does He intervene some times, but not others?

One of the answers has been that God is determining everything that happens. I.e., Hitler rising to power would be God’s doing. Another point of view gives credit to the fallen world being responsible for the evil in this world, and therefore, a baby dying from sickness is considered due to how this world operates since the fall, because it is under the power of the evil one.

Of course, God does heal sick babies at other times, which begs the question why some are healed, and others not. One answer has been that God knows everything, and therefore let this particular baby die for some higher purpose. An answer to which many have replied, “which higher purpose would be so significant that the pain of a baby dying, possibly after a sickness that took a heavy toll on the small child, would be worth it?” As a minister, and a parent myself, I need to think hard whether I can see myself giving that answer to a grieving parent. “If it feels so wrong (in my eyes), can it be right (in God’s eyes)?” While that question is certainly not the perfect tool for measuring biblical truth, it at least encourages a very careful review. I myself have surely been dissatisfied by the “higher purpose” explanation.

I feel that Isaiah 65:20 shares something about the heart of God regarding this matter, as the prophet is speaking about the new heaven and the new earth:

No longer will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days

God grieves when little children die. I don’t think that the god who promises a future where this horrible experience will never happen again, would use it as a means to accomplish His purposes now. Not a final answer, but still at least a tendency to me.