A Week For Devotion

Monday.  Another monday.  Every week comes and goes and brings another week when it is finished. The seemingly-endless cycle of days upon days and weeks upon weeks is back again.  And with each passing measurement of time we are presented with a decision, an opportunity for either rebellion or disobedience.  This monday, this week, let us make the most of the opportunity we've been given, let us take this week for devotion.

Will The Circle Be Unbroken? Not if I can help it!

I learned to play guitar from doing sing-alongs with my family, watching with the hawk-like eyes of an eager ten-year-old boy.  We would play all manner of sing-along songs that are so common.  And many of these songs I hope to pass on to my children and grandchildren as they have been passed on to me.  One in particular has, more recently, had a tremendous impact on me because of the simple, yet profound theology it expresses.

"Will the circle be unbroken
by and by, Lord, by and by.
There's a better home awaitin'
in the sky, Lord, in the sky!"

In my life I can only hope to succeed in holding up my arc of the circle as I pass on the circle to those who will come after me.  At the end of things, I can think of nothing more satisfying as being told by my Lord that yes, I did my part in making sure the circle remained unbroken as far as it pertained to me.

Matthew 24:35–Jesus' Words Will Never Pass Away

Matthew 24:35–"Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away."

This is one of those great statements, a statement of eternity, of everlasting mature.  Jesus is making quite a confession here.  And, to be sure, this is a statement of insanity, that is, unless He is who He claims to be.  If, however, Jesus is who He claims to be, then this statement is of remarkable importance.  In reality, if Jesus is the Son of God then we would to take this claim as seriously as it is given.  We would do wise, actually, to pay great attention to what Jesus says if His words are to be eternal...

Matt. 4:2–Jesus Was Hungry

Matthew 4:2–"And after fasting forty days and forty nights, and He was hungry."

Talk about the understatement of understatements: He was hungry.  I can barely make it past lunch before I'm starving.  Jesus goes forty days and forty nights.  And then, it says, He was hungry.  It is at this point in the story, when Jesus is exhausted and hungry that Satan comes to tempt Him.

You see, Jesus was like us.  He got tired like us, He got thirsty like us, and He got hungry like us.  But unlike us, He never sinned in His exhaustion, never strayed in His thirst, and never let His stomach distract from His devotion.

Jesus is our example.  Let us try to be like Him when we're hungry!

John 14:6–Except Through Jesus...

John 14:6–"Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me."

This is a pretty bold statement for Jesus to make.  He is making an absolute statement.  It is unequivocal, unambiguous–there's no mistaking what Jesus means.  He is stating a theological proposition, that the only way to God is through Him.  Quite a statement.

There are really only three ways to consider this statement.  Either Jesus is out of His mind.  Or He's an absolute liar.  Or He is telling the truth.

So what do you think?

Eph. 4:1–Walk in a Manner Worthy

Ephesians 4:1–"I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called..."

The key to this verse is "walk in a manner worthy of the calling."  There is a lifestyle specific to the Christian, a lifestyle of love and compassion with no end nor prejudice.  This is the only life worthy of the calling of Christ, worthy of what Christ did upon the cross.  If only we would strive harder to commit ourselves to live this way.

Only by the grace of God...

God Did Not Remain Aloof

The primary issue that plagues humanity is sin.  Sin is a venomous poison, a disease that drives wedges of alienation in every relationship.  We are frustrated in our relationships to one another, we are alienated in our relationships to God, we are confused in our relationships to creation, and we are even devastated in our relationship with ourselves.  All of this is as a result of sin.  Without attempting to be too provocative, the reason we feel so disconnected from everything around us is sin.  Quite literally, everything is broken.

Who could possibly save us in our dire predicament?  What would it take for us to accept salvation?

In all reality, God could have saved us from the curses of sin without getting His hands dirty, so to speak.  He was not powerless against sin while sitting on His throne in heaven.  Surely He could have handled sin decisively without sending His Son to take on the form of sin, placing the curse of sin upon Christ's shoulders, and He could have washed away sin without requiring blood.  But that is not what He did.

God did not remain aloof in garnering salvation.  He actively reached down into humanity with a distinctly human hand.  He pulled salvation through the torn human ligaments.  He grabbed redemption through blood-soaked flesh.  He laid the immense weight of all the world's sin upon His own shoulders. He satisfied His wrath by becoming the curse of sin.

All this He did at the cross.  In Christ.

To this, there is only one appropriate response: Amen and praise be to God!

Mark 8:36–What's The Real Profit?

Mark 8:36–"For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul?"

This is a great and probing question.  It lays out the reality of life in that direct, unambiguous way that only Jesus could.  The true issue of life, the heart of the matter, so to speak, is all about perspective and priorities.  Proper perspective, accurate priorities–this is the very essence of life.  But how to measure these things?  By what scale can we assess the real value of our lives, our decisions?

That is what this verse is about.  In reality, it is substance for all Christianity: what really matters?

The answer, while obvious to state as a theological proposition, is quite a difficult thing to base our lives around.  Any Christian worth his/her salvation can say that Jesus is everything.  Any Christian who has made a confession of faith wouldn't think twice about the question Jesus asks.  But do we live that way?  Do we really live our lives as if Jesus is the most important thing in all existence?

Perhaps we (and by "we" I mean "I") need to really think and pray about this question and its consequences a little more...

Who Are Your Heroes?

The world that we live in is obsessed with hero worship.  America has so deified celebrities that the way we dress, the way we look, even the way we think about life is defined by the celebrities we worship.  Musical talent, acting ability, massive bank accounts, famous relatives–it doesn't matter, we construct our lives around what a celebrity does or thinks.

Plain and simple, this is idolatry.  We worship idols.

The flaw in all of this is the difference between an idol and a hero.

An idol is any person or thing that distracts us from worshiping God.  A hero, on the other hand, is a person that acts as an example for us to follow, a guide for devotion.

Enter Scripture and history.  Both of these can be great sources for heroes, examples for us to follow in learning how to grow in Christ.

So, I ask:

Who are your heroes?

Gal. 6:7–Whatever Is Sown Will Be Reaped

Galatians 6:7–"Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap."

This is one of the most basic truths of life, that we reap what we sow.  Most of us understand this truth and we live our lives loosely attempting to abide by it.  To be sure, it is so ingrained into our lives that it can be seen in nearly every facet of life: water the garden and the plants will grow, empty the fuel tank and the car will stop, pay the bills and the lights stay on, and so on and so forth.

But Paul adds this qualification: God is not mocked.

What does he mean by this?  How is God mocked by sowing and reaping?

The truth is, how often do each of us sow one thing but pray to God for a different harvest?  I readily admit that I have sowed on thing while earnestly asking God for another.  This is the essence of this verse.

We should never forget the reality of sowing and reaping.  God does not bless the sowing of sin with righteousness, just as He does not bless a harvest of holiness when it is sown in unrighteousness.

But to sow righteousness is the very joy and task of the Christian.  In so doing we will reap a harvest of eternal life.

Amen!

God Has Called Us To Live

1 Thessalonians 4:7-8–"For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness.  Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives His Holy Spirit to you."

This passage comes as the conclusion of a brief exhortation about Christian living.  But, as we reach this verse, there is an interesting point being made.  Paul is exhorting believers to live to Christ, for Christ, and as Christ.  This means, at the very least, that our lifestyles will be pure and undefiled. The point here, though, is that the authority with which Paul makes these commands is not his own.  More than that, if we disregard Paul's teachings it is, in truth, not Paul we are disregarding at all; we are disregarding God Himself.

We should never, not ever forget this.  It is, ultimately, not the church, any man, or institution that compels us to live lives of purity and holiness.  It is God Himself that desires it.  It is He who orders and commands.  This is, it turns out, everything.

Romans 12:15–Practical Relational Intelligence

Romans 12:15–"Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep."

Knowing when it is appropriate to weep with someone is as important as knowing when it is inappropriate to rejoice.  When someone is grieving the loss of a loved one or the diagnosis of cancer it can be like a great wound.  If we go to that person with nothing but rejoices we will be salting the wound not nourishing someone who is broken.  It is, therefore, of paramount importance that we would grow the acuteness of our relational intelligence.  In other words, we need to become better at assessing where other people are coming from emotionally and to relate to them appropriately.  This is love.  This is Christianity.

John 3:16–God So Loved The World

John 3:16–"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but shat have eternal life."

Without a doubt this is one of the most famous verses in all of Scripture.  It is so well-renowned and frequently quoted that perhaps some of us may have even forgotten what it means.  But consider, for a moment, the reality of what this verse is saying.  God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son.  Love.

Spend some time today pondering on this verse, perhaps thinking on it in a way you have never done.

Romans 15:2–Let Each Build Up His Neighbor

Romans 15:2–"Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up."

This is a decidedly-foreign attitude to take towards the people around us (our neighbors).  We're so far more prone to belittling, criticism, negligence, and disregard.  But this verse exhorts a different perspective, another way to love those we are blessed to have in our lives.  We are called to love our neighbors in order to build them up.

This is the very essence of Christianity as it pertains to loving one another.  We do it to build them up.

Love, plain and simple.

Gal. 5:13–Freedom To Do What?

Galatians 5:13–"For you were called to freedom, brothers.  Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another."

Freedom can be a controversial word in the American church.  The reason for this is two-fold.  Firstly, Americans have been raised with a specific understanding of what freedom is.  As a result, we bring our American definition of freedom to bear upon the Scriptural meaning of freedom.  We struggle, sometimes, to take our American lenses off, meaning that we confuse Christian freedom with American freedom, even going so far, unfortunately, to use the terms synonymously.

But Christian freedom is different.  It is the freedom to love one another, the freedom from sin, the freedom to do what is right in God's eyes, the freedom to obey the commands, and, lastly, the freedom to live a life of submission to God's will in our lives.  It is in this way that we have been called to freedom just as we have been blessed with freedom.

Let us not forget this. And let us not use our freedom in Christ to serve ourselves but, rather, to love each other more!

Proverbs 15:1–Need For A Soft Answer

Proverbs 15:1–"A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger."

A 'soft' answer.  To my discredit, this has not always been my most natural response.  In truth, actually, I am prone to offer answers that are too direct, too aggressive, and, quite frankly, too harsh.  This verse, then, has a special relevance to someone like me who has a tendency towards foot-in-mouth syndrome. More than once, many times to be honest, I have seen the reality of this verse in my own life.  I can say without hesitation that a soft answer does turn away wrath just as a harsh word does stir up angry responses.

It is thus so vital that we would guard our tongues, monitor our speech so that in any and every circumstance we would only offer answers soft in delivery.  This does not relegate everything we say to be weak.  On the contrary, this means that when what we say is difficult and strong, our delivery will be soft for the purpose of making it most effective.  The sharpest blade can be deflected by defenses, but the dullest knife can wound if defenses are lowered.

Romans 15:5-6–"May God Grant You To Live In Unity

Romans 15:5-6–"May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ."

We are surrounded by divisions.  The whole world is a mix of lines of maps, lines down aisles, lines between factions, and lines between ethnicities.  But in Christ, the hostility that separates us is broken (Eph. 2:13-16), and we are able to join together not only to Christ our Lord, but also to each other through Christ.

This transformation from tension to relationship does not happen naturally.  In truth, it is an entirely unnatural change.  It demands that we would rely on God to bring us together, to build connecting bridges where none exist.  It is with this intent, with this sentiment in mind that Paul pens the benediction of Romans 15:5-6.

Let us thus pray that God may grant us the ability to truly sing with one voice, breaking down any barriers that would hinder our unity and glorifying God as a unified body of Christ.

Ephesians–3:20-21–To Him Who Is Able To Do More!

Ephesians 3:20-21–"Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever.  Amen."

Sometimes, a lot of the times, we don't know what to pray for.  We know we need to pray, we might even have some sense of what we need to pray for–but still, we are at a loss for words when it comes time to pray.  It is at these times, when we are at a loss, that we can turn to Scripture.  Scripture is rife full of prayers, benedictions, and doxologies that can be very valuable not only as examples for prayer but, and perhaps more so, as prayers we can ourselves pray.  Let us not forget this basic truth as we seek to worship God through prayer!

Enjoy Worshiping Together

There are few things more satisfying than joining together with believers and worshiping God.  When we get together on Sunday mornings (or whenever) we are engaging in an ages-old celebration.  It is a celebration of Christ, a celebration of His sacrifice, and a celebration of all we are as His body, His Church.  This is why it is so important that we would never forsake coming together.  In coming together, we are loving God and loving one another.  In truth, let us never forget this!

Ecc. 11:5–Thank God You Don't Know

Ecclesiastes 11:5–"As you do not know the way the spirit comes to the bones in the womb of a woman with child, so you do not know the work of God who makes everything."

Praise God for miracles!  Praise God for babies!  Praise God for His endless, amazing creativity in creation!

If I have uttered it a million times, it has not been enough.

Humanity is brilliant in its creativity and intellect, clever in its category and thought, and beautiful in its poetry and language.  But with all this genius and grandeur we still must bow in humility before the God who creates by the power of His voice, the strength of His Word, and can still the storm or swell the wave with but a whisper.

To all of this we can only say:

Praise be to God!