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About John D. Willome

I post a blog of daily devotions that are my prayer journals based on scripture.

Revelation 4:1-11

20 Nov

4 Then as I looked, I saw a door standing open in heaven, and the same voice I had heard before spoke to me like a trumpet blast. The voice said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must happen after this.” 2 And instantly I was in the Spirit, and I saw a throne in heaven and someone sitting on it. 3 The one sitting on the throne was as brilliant as gemstones—like jasper and carnelian. And the glow of an emerald circled his throne like a rainbow. 4 Twenty-four thrones surrounded him, and twenty-four elders sat on them. They were all clothed in white and had gold crowns on their heads. 5 From the throne came flashes of lightning and the rumble of thunder. And in front of the throne were seven torches with burning flames. This is the sevenfold Spirit of God. 6 In front of the throne was a shiny sea of glass, sparkling like crystal.

In the center and around the throne were four living beings, each covered with eyes, front and back. 7 The first of these living beings was like a lion; the second was like an ox; the third had a human face; and the fourth was like an eagle in flight. 8 Each of these living beings had six wings, and their wings were covered all over with eyes, inside and out. Day after day and night after night they keep on saying,

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty—
    the one who always was, who is, and who is still to come.”

9 Whenever the living beings give glory and honor and thanks to the one sitting on the throne (the one who lives forever and ever), 10 the twenty-four elders fall down and worship the one sitting on the throne (the one who lives forever and ever). And they lay their crowns before the throne and say,

11 “You are worthy, O Lord our God,
    to receive glory and honor and power.
For you created all things,
    and they exist because you created what you pleased.”

Revelation 4:1-11

Dear God, my worship of you is pathetic. And I don’t care how much I would be able to ratchet it up. Compared to this, it would be pathetic.

You know I don’t read too much in Revelation, but since this was the New Testament reading for the Catholic church today I thought I would go ahead and sit with it a bit. Reading it through, I was seeing the descriptions of the different beings and thinking, “Why do I need to know this in my life today?” when it got to the end of the description of the four beings and said starting in 8b:

Day after day and night after night they keep on saying,

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty—
    the one who always was, who is, and who is still to come.”

9 Whenever the living beings give glory and honor and thanks to the one sitting on the throne (the one who lives forever and ever), 10 the twenty-four elders fall down and worship the one sitting on the throne (the one who lives forever and ever). And they lay their crowns before the throne and say,

11 “You are worthy, O Lord our God,
    to receive glory and honor and power.
For you created all things,
    and they exist because you created what you pleased.”

I mean, I could spend every day, 24/7, attempting this, and it would still never come close to this amount of worship of you. The amount of worship of which you are worthy. The amount of worship you deserve. I was reading about the 24 elders in verse 4 and wondering who exactly they were and how great they must have been to be one of the 24. Could I ever be that good? (Yes, my selfish, sinful, carnal heart had the audacity to ask that question.) Then I saw that these great beings were on their faces laying their crowns before you.

Father, I get caught up on questions about heaven like, “Will I know my wife?” “Will I know those I love?” “Will I get bored?” But then I read this and I realize that I simply have no frame of reference for what the other side of death will be. All I know is that I’m not worthy, and if I am with you past this life it is only because of your grace through Jesus. If, on a scale of 1-10, my worship of you is currently a 2 (that’s about how it’s feeling right now), help me to get to a 2.1 today. Honestly, I don’t know if I can ever really get beyond 3 in this life, but the scale of the worship you deserve is so large, there is a lot of room between 2 and 3. So help me to worship you better. And help me to simply turn loose of my ego and be a nobody trying to tell everybody all about somebody who saved my soul. (Shout out Casting Crowns).

I love you, Lord.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on November 20, 2024 in Revelation

 

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“Psalm 1” by Kim Hill

19 Nov

“Psalm 1” by Kim Hill

Blessed is he who will follow the Lord
He will not stand in the path of the sinner
He will not sit in the seat of the scoffer
For the law of the Lord is his delight

In his law he meditates, day and night
He will be like a tree planted by water
He will yield his fruit in its season, his leaves won’t die
In whatever he does, he will prosper

Blessed is he who will follow the Lord
He will not stand in the path of the sinner
He will not sit in the seat of the scoffer
For the law of the Lord is his delight

For the lost, they are like chaff that the wind drives away
They are not safe at any time their life could perish

Blessed is he who will follow the Lord
He will not stand in the path of the sinner
He will not sit in the seat of the scoffer
For the law of the Lord is his delight

The Lord holds the plans, and the paths of all who follow him
The righteous will stand secure and last forever

Blessed is he who will follow the Lord
He will not stand in the path of the sinner
He will not sit in the seat of the scoffer
For the law of the Lord is his delight

Dear God, this is the second Kim Hill song I’ve thought of over the last couple of days, and there probably aren’t many people who remember her music enough to think of two songs by her in the span of three days. I guess I have a unique knowledge of 90s Christian music.

In this case, the verse of the day from Bible Gateway was Psalm 1:1-2. I pulled up the whole psalm and then this song came to mind since it’s literally called “Psalm 1.” Here is the NLT version of Psalm 1:

1 Oh, the joys of those who do not
    follow the advice of the wicked,
    or stand around with sinners,
    or join in with mockers.
2 But they delight in the law of the Lord,
    meditating on it day and night.
3 They are like trees planted along the riverbank,
    bearing fruit each season.
Their leaves never wither,
    and they prosper in all they do.

4 But not the wicked!
    They are like worthless chaff, scattered by the wind.
5 They will be condemned at the time of judgment.
    Sinners will have no place among the godly.
6 For the Lord watches over the path of the godly,
    but the path of the wicked leads to destruction.

I was talking several days ago as I prepared for my friend’s funeral about psalms of orientation, disorientation, and reorientation. I would put this psalm squarely in the realm of orientation. The world makes sense to the psalmist. Those who follow you are blessed. The wicked condemned. When I am disoriented, it seems like those who follow you are abandoned and the wicked thrive. And then when I am reoriented, I can see beyond the physical world and realize that you hold those who love you, whether we can see it or not.

As I look at the first stanza, the one line that hits me is that I will not “join in with mockers.” Oh, how that is so easy and tempting to do. I want to mock those who disagree with me. I want to roll my eyes at people I see as foolish. The frustrate me, and I want to join in with like-minded people and mock them. I want to scoff. I want to make the insecurities I have in my disagreements with them, and use scoffing and mocking to elevate myself over them. That’s my human, carnal solution to it. What should my solution be? I suppose I should be looking to you, examining my thoughts and my heart for and then laying them before you to see if they are your thoughts and your heart. Then, if there is disagreement between you and me, I need to repent. If there is agreement, I need to simply love those who disagree and perhaps develop enough relationship with them where I can speak into their lives.

Father, help me to live up to all of this. It is so much easier to say/type than it is to live. But I want to worship you. I want to represent you to the world. I want to love you well. You are my God, and I want the roots of my life to be deep into your presence. Help me to be that throughout this day.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on November 19, 2024 in Hymns and Songs, Psalms

 

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John 17:13-19

18 Nov

13 “Now I am coming to you. I told them many things while I was with them in this world so they would be filled with my joy. 14 I have given them your word. And the world hates them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. 15 I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one. 16 They do not belong to this world any more than I do. 17 Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth. 18 Just as you sent me into the world, I am sending them into the world. 19 And I give myself as a holy sacrifice for them so they can be made holy by your truth.

John 17:13-19

Dear God, thank you for not taking the disciples out of the world. Thank you for the work they did after Jesus’s resurrection and ascension. Thank you that you were able to take the hate the world had for them and use that hate to spread them throughout that part of the world and that those dominoes ultimately got knocked over until they reached my small life. I am here today because of the lives they lead. Thank you.

And I suppose it is my turn now. It is my turn to let my life be one that leads to others knowing you. I don’t feel like I am nearly as good at it as they are. Perhaps I’m too safe. I live in an area that is similar to the one where Jesus lived in that it is filled with a bunch of people who believe in you, but do not follow you in discipleship. They believe, but they are spiritually dead. It seems to me that the apostles were most effective when they went into the world beyond that area and lived among those who had never heard of you at all. I’ve thought about that before. What would it be like to live in a godless place on the west coast where they are hostile towards you? What would it be like to be salt in that environment? It feels like when I try to encourage believers into real discipleship here, it falls on deaf ears. There are times when it feels like I am making very little difference when it comes to introducing people to you and being part of deepening their relationships with you.

Father, you have not taken me out of this world. I am not home yet. Protect me from Satan. Make me holy your truth. By your word. Hold me close, and use me. Prepare hearts that will encounter me and help me to take you to them. And prepare my heart for those who you have to minister to me. Love me through others. Build your church in our community. Do it all for your glory and so that your kingdom will come and your will will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on November 18, 2024 in John

 

Mark 13:1-2

17 Nov

13 As Jesus was leaving the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher! What massive stones! What magnificent buildings!”

2 “Do you see all these great buildings?” replied Jesus. “Not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.”

Mark 13:1-2

Dear God, is it bad that I just don’t care about end time prophecies? The Gospel reading for the Catholic church this morning is verses from later in Mark 13 when Jesus is describing end times. Is it bad that I’m incurious about them?

I guess it makes me think of the Rich Mullins song “Be With You.”

“Be With You” by Rich Mullins

Everybody each and all
We’re gonna die eventually
It’s no more or less our faults
Than it is our destiny
So now Lord I come to you
Asking only for Your grace
You know what I’ve put myself through
All those empty dreams I chased

And when my body lies in the ruins
Of the lies that nearly ruined me
Will You pick up the pieces
That were pure and true
And breathe Your life into them
And set them free?

And when You start this world over
Again from scratch
Will You make me anew
Out of the stuff that lasts?
Stuff that’s purer than gold is
And clearer than glass could ever be
Can I be with You?
Can I be with You?

And everybody all and each
From the day that we are born
We have to learn to walk beneath
Those mercies by which we’re drawn
And now we wrestle in the dark
With these angels that we can’t see
We will move on although with scars
Oh Lord, move inside of me

And when my body lies in the ruins
Of the lies that nearly runied me
Will You pick up the pieces
That were pure and true
And breathe Your life into them
And set them free?

And when You blast this cosmos
To kingdom come
When those jagged-edged mountains
I love are gone
When the sky is crossed with the tears
Of a thousand falling suns
As they crash into the sea
Can I be with you?
Can I be with you?

I have this down as one of my funeral songs. Whatever happens. However this all works out, I simply just want to be with you. I really don’t want to use any mental energy trying to gain this knowledge because, even if I were the one person who could figure this out (which Jesus says in Mark 13:32), what good would the knowledge gain me? Maybe I could use it to scare people into faith in and worship of you. But that doesn’t seem to be how you motivate people. At least, I don’t think selling people “fire insurance” is a good way to motivate them.

Father, I’ll be fascinated to hear this morning how the priest applies the daily reading (which is actually Mark 13:24-32) here in a little bit. One of the things I’ve decided is a “floor” for my life is that I need to get some good teaching at least once a week. Be with the priest this morning and teach me through him. Teach me through the songs we sing. Teach me through the people I encounter. Teach me through your still small voice as I worship you.

I pray all of this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on November 17, 2024 in Hymns and Songs, Mark

 

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3 John

16 Nov

1 The elder,

To my dear friend Gaius, whom I love in the truth.

2 Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well. 3 It gave me great joy when some believers came and testified about your faithfulness to the truth, telling how you continue to walk in it. 4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.

5 Dear friend, you are faithful in what you are doing for the brothers and sisters, even though they are strangers to you. 6 They have told the church about your love. Please send them on their way in a manner that honors God. 7 It was for the sake of the Name that they went out, receiving no help from the pagans. 8 We ought therefore to show hospitality to such people so that we may work together for the truth.

9 I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first, will not welcome us. 10 So when I come, I will call attention to what he is doing, spreading malicious nonsense about us. Not satisfied with that, he even refuses to welcome other believers. He also stops those who want to do so and puts them out of the church.

11 Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil but what is good. Anyone who does what is good is from God. Anyone who does what is evil has not seen God. 12 Demetrius is well spoken of by everyone—and even by the truth itself. We also speak well of him, and you know that our testimony is true.

13 I have much to write you, but I do not want to do so with pen and ink. 14 I hope to see you soon, and we will talk face to face.

15 Peace to you. The friends here send their greetings. Greet the friends there by name.

3 John

Dear God, yesterday was the whole book of 2 John, and since today’s New Testament reading for the Catholic church was 3 John I figured I might as well do the whole book here. I’ll confess, though, that after seeing this letter was addressed to an individual, as 2 John seemingly was, I went back to see if 1 John was too. It was not. So there’s that.

When I was reading this book this morning, I found myself being delighted for Gaius. I was happy for him to be receiving such a complimentary letter from the Apostle John. People were talking about him behind his back, and it was good. The word had reached John that Gaius was faithful to the truth and walking in it. He is loving strangers. Simply put, he’s a good guy doing things the right way under the authority of Jesus and his teachings.

Next, John warns Gaius to not emulate Diotrephes. He has some terrible things to say about Diotrephes, and he points out to Gaius that they should not be emulated and that John intends to publicly address them when he arrives there. I don’t know what Diotrephes problem is, but this admonition reminds me of two things.

  1. The warning you gave to Samuel in 1 Samuel 3:11-14 about Eli and his sons. Of all the things you could have said to young Samuel in that moment (e.g., I am calling you to be the next judge of Israel, you will do great things in my name, etc.), you focused on the sin of Eli and his sons and basically warned him not to follow them by indicating that they would be severely punished for them. If Gaius was having any doubts about how he was behaving vs. Diotrephes, John put those questions to bed quickly.
  2. A conversation I had with a friend yesterday who is trying to help a certain people group through the nonprofit where he works. A fellow worker in the ministry got upset about this targeted help and physically left the meeting they were in and resigned from the ministry. My friend was befuddled. How could he not see that this is what Jesus would do? How could he not see that their call as Christians is to love them?

Father, I have all kinds of decisions to make in every moment. Oh, how I would love to be Gaius, the kind of person John would write this letter to. And, oh, how I would hate to be Diotrephes, the kind of person John would have to publicly reprimand. But the line between them is not as far apart as I might like to think. At any given time I can get sucked into disparaging others, judging others, and even hating others. My love can be limited and lacking. Not that I shouldn’t publicly challenge someone as John was willing to do if someone is obviously doing something wrong, but I need to be careful about how I do it and that I don’t just privately complain and moan while not doing anything constructive with my criticism. And I need to also have enough self-awareness through the refining of your Holy Spirit to see when I’ve crossed the line and drifted away from the man you need me to be. When I sin. So I am sorry for the sin in my life. I’m sorry for my unconstructive anger. I’m sorry when I am simply foolish and even slothful. I bring myself to you. I worship you. I thank you for everything in my life.

I pray all of this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on November 16, 2024 in 3 John

 

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2 John

15 Nov

1 This letter is from John, the elder.

I am writing to the chosen lady and to her children, whom I love in the truth—as does everyone else who knows the truth— 2 because the truth lives in us and will be with us forever.

3 Grace, mercy, and peace, which come from God the Father and from Jesus Christ—the Son of the Father—will continue to be with us who live in truth and love.

4 How happy I was to meet some of your children and find them living according to the truth, just as the Father commanded.

5 I am writing to remind you, dear friends, that we should love one another. This is not a new commandment, but one we have had from the beginning. 6 Love means doing what God has commanded us, and he has commanded us to love one another, just as you heard from the beginning.

7 I say this because many deceivers have gone out into the world. They deny that Jesus Christ came in a real body. Such a person is a deceiver and an antichrist. 8 Watch out that you do not lose what we have worked so hard to achieve. Be diligent so that you receive your full reward. 9 Anyone who wanders away from this teaching has no relationship with God. But anyone who remains in the teaching of Christ has a relationship with both the Father and the Son.

10 If anyone comes to your meeting and does not teach the truth about Christ, don’t invite that person into your home or give any kind of encouragement. 11 Anyone who encourages such people becomes a partner in their evil work.

12 I have much more to say to you, but I don’t want to do it with paper and ink. For I hope to visit you soon and talk with you face to face. Then our joy will be complete.

13 Greetings from the children of your sister, chosen by God.

2 John

Dear God, I had forgotten that this letter was addressed to an individual. I mean, it’s not without precedent that we have letters in the New Testament that were addressed to individuals (see Timothy and Titus). But somehow this seems a little more personal because it is to a woman and her children. Of course, I know the “lady” referenced here could be the church as a whole. I even looked at a couple of commentaries for clarification and they said it could be either. So, I’m just going to roll with the idea that this was written to an individual with her children because the personal nature of that interaction with the Apostle John appeals to me.

Heresy is such a scary thing because it can be so attractive to believe. I guess people wouldn’t teach it or believe it if it wasn’t attractive on some level. And one of my fears as I share you with others is that I will teach heresy. Of course, who’s to say there isn’t any of my personal theology that is heresy? I’ve been taught be imperfect teachers who were taught by imperfect teachers. There are times when we try to meld our theology to fit our own biases and preconceived ideas. We are all guilty of that to some extent, no matter how righteous we try to be.

So I like how John boils it down to a couple of things here. Jesus was real. The story of his life, death, and resurrection is real (verse 7). Reject the teaching of anyone who tries to say otherwise. And our command is to love him and love others (verse 5). He took his time to record these two things, and the church fathers decided that this is one of the important things from John’s writings that needed to be preserved for people like me thousands of years later: Jesus is real. Love him and love others.

Father, it doesn’t seem like it should be as hard to live this out as it is, but here we are, failing to do it every day. There are times when I ignore Jesus’s teaching while he was here on earth because it is too hard or inconvenient. There are times when I get selfish and don’t love others. And then only bad things flow from those moments. So I give you my heart in this moment. Right now. I will do my best in the next moment, but in this moment that interfaces with you I tell you that I believe in the life of Jesus that is recorded for us. I believe because so many people who were there and witnessed all of it went to their death proclaiming it even though it was the very story they were being killed for. And I will fill my heart with love for others. Help me to be willing to pay the price you are calling me to pay to exhibit the love you need me to exhibit.

I pray all of this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on November 15, 2024 in 2 John

 

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“Something Wicked” by Callie Feyen

14 Nov 
"Something Wicked" by Callie Feyen

leaves sweep across the street
and branches bend
the wind
messes with papers
birds can't fly right
windows slam without human touch
car doors fling open
hair goes everywhere and nowhere
when the rain comes it falls sideways

maybe that's a summer wind
maybe that wind means well
an over exuberant child begging
to be put in the game

the winter wind
acts like it's won
bullys with icy breath
that picks at your legs
through your jacket
to your stomach 
straight to the heart

winter wind acts like change will never come again
acts like it can wipe out anything and everything
doesn't want the world to remember
that even in a barren land
what falls
always leaves remnants
waiting to grow again
ready to converge with what rises*

*[Feyen's note] Everything That Rises Must Converge by Flannery O’Connor is my new favorite title, and a phrase I wonder about now most of my days.

Dear God, I read this poem this morning when I woke up, and it made me think about the wind in a different way. Living in Texas, summertime wind is almost always welcome as it helps cool things off. The town I live in was intentionally laid out on a Northwest/Southeast axis so that when the south wind blows it will come in the windows of two sides of the house and not just one. We need the wind in the summer to make being outside tolerable. It is our friend. It combines with the sweat that comes out of me to cool me. The closer my skin is to the wind the better. At the same time we are welcoming the wind, we are shielding ourselves from the sun. Shade is a premium. Trees. Tents. Gazebos. Even a cloudy day is a welcome sight in the summer. The temperature difference between being in the sun and being in the shade is huge. So, to summarize, summertime = wind/good + sun/bad.

The winter is opposite. For the short times of the year we experience winter down here, we shield ourselves from the wind. Even this morning, we had the windows open overnight and the study was chilly when I walked in. The ceiling fan was on because it runs 24/7 from March through November. But as I sat down, I realized I needed to turn off the fan. Even the small breeze from a ceiling fan on medium speed was not welcome in my study this morning. As the days will turn colder, I will shield myself from the wind. On the really cold days, I might even cover my face. The wind will hurt my skin. It will steal my warmth and run away. But I will seek out the sun. I’ll prefer to be in it rather than under a tree. I’ll open the shade that covers the moon roof of my truck for six months of the year. I will seek warmth because nature will be doing everything it can to take it from me. So, to summarize, wintertime = wind/bad + sun/good.

All of this leads me into the metaphor for my life. When I read Feyen’s poem this morning, it made me think of the winters of my life that can come in and bully the summer away. And sometimes it seems like that winter will last forever. I want protection from it. When things are good my temptation is to pray less and just live for myself more. But winter reminds me that I need your protection from the wind. I need your sun (Son?) to warm me. I need to clothe myself in prayer, godly inputs, and positive relationships. Summer requires self-discipline to remember to worship you and thank you for what I have, but winter drives me to you. And sometimes my self-discipline fails and I need to be driven to you. I need to be reminded I need you for my very breath. Winter has its place in my life. So I don’t fight it. I just clothe myself in you and see out your Son.

Father, form me today. In the words of the song “Spirit of the Living God,” break me, melt me, mold me, fill me. And let your presence, your Holy Spirit, fall afresh on me.

I pray this in Jesus with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on November 14, 2024 in Miscellaneous, Musings and Stories

 

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Psalm 121, 1 Corinthians 15:51-58

13 Nov

121 I will lift up my eyes to the mountains;
From where shall my help come?
2 My help comes from the Lord,
Who made heaven and earth.
3 He will not allow your foot to slip;
He who keeps you will not slumber.
4 Behold, He who keeps Israel
Will neither slumber nor sleep.

5 The Lord is your keeper;
The Lord is your shade on your right hand.
6 The sun will not smite you by day,
Nor the moon by night.
7 The Lord will protect you from all evil;
He will keep your soul.
8 The Lord will guard your going out and your coming in
From this time forth and forever.

Psalm 121

Dear God, when I read this passage this morning, it reminded me of what I learned from Walter Brueggemann about the psalms being categorized into three categories, with some psalms fitting into more than one: Orientation (God, thank you, everything is going great), Disorientation (God, help, everything is going wrong), and Reorientation (God, thank you for bringing me through everything going wrong). For this poem, I see it as a kind of psalm of reorientation. The psalmist is saying claiming his own victory through Jesus and then encouraging those in disorientation with it. In the first two verses, he is remembering back on his life and his times of disorientation and needing help. And you were faithful to be there for him.

Then the rest of the psalm is encouraging others. Encouraging us. Hey, I’ve been there. I know it’s hard. But he will not let your foot slip (verse 3). He will be your shade from oppression (verses 5 and 6). He will protect your soul from evil and keep it with him (verse 7). He will guard you (verse 8). This psalmist is the voice of evidence that you are good and an encouragement to those around him. To me sitting here today.

I was visiting with a friend yesterday who is experiencing pain that I have experienced. We shared our pain and our experiences. Our weaknesses. In some ways, I was like the psalmist trying to encourage her. And while my pain still exists, you’ve taught me to use it to form who I am in you and then encourage others in similar situations. Oh, how I pray that this friend does not experience the pain to the extent I have. Please, Father, be with that situation.

51 Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, “Death is swallowed up in victory. 55 O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; 57 but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 15:51-58

Then there is the pain of death. But Paul is being the psalmist here to the Corinthians. To us. To me. He is giving us comfort in the midst of our pain when we lose someone. Maybe when we fear our own death. He is reminding us of what the Old Testament prophets said about death.

I mentioned Saturday the friend who died suddenly. This is a time of disorientation for all who knew him, but especially his wife and children. Extreme disorientation. How could it not be. But I pray that they will find comfort. That you will raise up people to be your hands and feet to them. I pray that they will welcome in and accept the help and love you have for them. Be glorified, somehow, through this loss. Do not let this pain be wasted. Help his widow one day get to the point where she is the psalmist for others. Where she is encouraging someone else that their foot will not slip because of you. That you will be their shade. It won’t be today that she is the psalmist. And it won’t be tomorrow. But help her and all of your church to be that encouragement to a lost world and to all in the church who are currently disoriented. Help us to be what you need us to be so that your kingdom will come and your will will be done on this earth as it is in heaven.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on November 13, 2024 in 1 Corinthians, Psalms

 

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Titus 2

12 Nov

2 But as for you, speak the things which are fitting for sound doctrine. 2 Older men are to be temperate, dignified, sensible, sound in faith, in love, in perseverance.

3 Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good, 4 so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, 5 to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored.

6 Likewise urge the young men to be sensible; 7 in all things show yourself to be an example of good deeds, with purity in doctrine, dignified, 8 sound in speech which is beyond reproach, so that the opponent will be put to shame, having nothing bad to say about us.

9 Urge bondslaves to be subject to their own masters in everything, to be well-pleasing, not argumentative, 10 not pilfering, but showing all good faith so that they will adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in every respect.

11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, 12 instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, 13 looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, 14 who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.

15 These things speak and exhort and reprove with all authority. Let no one disregard you.

Titus 2

Dear God, this chapter all seemed to be one thought, so I thought I would keep it together. As I read the admonitions for each category of people I started to wonder how I would parse through it. Thankfully, Paul helped me out by summarizing things in verses 11-14:

11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, 12 instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, 13 looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, 14 who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.

So I need to:

  • Deny ungodliness
  • Deny worldly desires
  • Live sensibly
  • Live righteously
  • Be godly
  • Look for hope

The first five are kind of no-brainers, but the last one is interesting given the chapter I just read this last weekend in a marriage book my wife and I are reading with the couple’s group we are in at church. The book is called Habits for a Healthy Marriage by Richard Fitzgibbons. Chapter 6 is titled “Hope Reduces Sadness and Loneliness.” I kind of scoffed at that title at first because I think I was using a definition of hope, and assumed he was using a definition for hope, that I think is very American and prosperity gospel-ish. A lot of times, when people tell me to not give up hope or that things will turn out alright, they are talking about everything working out the way I want it to or in my favor. But I think Paul has it right here. My hope is in you. It is in your return. It is in the idea that you won. I don’t know exactly what that looks like or how I will experience that, but I know that is what Paul is saying here. Now, it’s a long way around the block to link hope, even in you and the world to come, to reducing my sadness and loneliness. I suppose to some extent it does, but sometimes we are just in the valley of the shadow of death and we need to slog through it. And I’ll slog through it with my hope in you, but that hope will have varying degrees of impact on my sadness and loneliness now.

Father, I have friends who are sad right now because of loved ones they’ve lost. Use the hope in the new earth to encourage them. I have friends who are worried about their illnesses and afraid of death for themselves or their spouse. Use the hope in the new earth to encourage them. I have friends who are worried about their children’s health, their children in general, their own lives and provision for their basic needs. Use the pain of their situations to drive them closer to you. Of course, there are those in the war zones around the world. Oh, Father, please help them and make the death stop. Make the suffering and torture stop. Heal the traumas. Heal us, Father.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on November 12, 2024 in Titus

 

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Titus 1:5-9

11 Nov

5 For this reason I left you in Crete, that you would set in order what remains and appoint elders in every city as I directed you, 6 namely, if any man is above reproach, the husband of one wife, having children who believe, not accused of dissipation or rebellion. 7 For the overseer must be above reproach as God’s steward, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not addicted to wine, not pugnacious, not fond of sordid gain, 8 but hospitable, loving what is good, sensible, just, devout, self-controlled, 9 holding fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching, so that he will be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict.

Titus 1:5-9

Dear God, this list of qualifications for elder caught my eye this morning. Verse 6 talks about “having children who believe, not accused of dissipation or rebellion.” By this standard, not many biblical characters would qualify for service as an elder. I wonder if that is a legitimate qualification, or if Paul was making the mistake a lot of people without children make. I’ve noticed that there are many who do not have children who do not understand the concept of free will. I mean, let’s face it. I don’t think you, God, would qualify to be an elder under this criteria. Starting with Satan and the rebellion he led, and then going all the way down to us as your children.

Now that I think about it, which biblical fathers would have qualified to be elders under Paul’s standard of children’s behavior? Not Adam. Not Noah. Maybe Abraham, but Not Isaac or Jacob. Joseph (Jacob’s son)? Maybe. Moses? Maybe. Maybe Joshua. But not Eli, Samuel, or David. But maybe Saul. I guess you get my point. Paul set a pretty high standard here, and from looking at history, a fairly random and unpredictable one.

But how many of us as parents have children who go their own way and blame ourselves. And while we certainly play a part in it, not everything is within our control. Sometimes we can be the worst, and our children turn out great. Sometimes we can do our best (albeit with mistakes), and things can go terribly wrong. But we will use our children’s lives as a barometer of our own success as who you want us to be. While we certainly need to be self-reflective and repentant as parents for our mistakes, we need to also recognize that there are simply some things we cannot control.

Father, help me to reject man’s litmus test for how I should evaluate myself and embrace simply loving you with everything I have and then loving neighbors. Help me to take my love for you and use what you give me in return to draw others closer to you. Help me to be who you need me to be in this world today. For my wife. For my children. For my friends and coworkers. For those I don’t even know. May it all be for your glory.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on November 11, 2024 in Titus

 

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