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Philippians 2:1-5

13 Jul

Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate? Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose. Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.
Philippians 2:1-5

Dear God, parenting is different than any other kind of relationship. We all need our parents to help form us and teach us different aspects of life. By the nature of the relationship, there is going to be conflict.

The same is true, in some ways, with my relationship with you. I can sometimes reject the lessons you try to teach me. I can complain or even hold a grudge against you. I can feel sorry for myself. I can let it drive me out of pursuing my relationship with you.

Father, as I try to follow Paul’s advice to the Philippians in this passage, help me to start with dying to myself and purifying my own motives when it comes to interacting with you or others, including my wife, children, family of origin, coworkers, and community. Make me an instrument of your peace.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on July 13, 2021 in Philippians

 

Matthew 4:1-11

12 Jul

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil. For forty days and forty nights he fasted and became very hungry. During that time the devil came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.” But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Then the devil took him to the holy city, Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, and said, “If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say, ‘He will order his angels to protect you. And they will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.’ ” Jesus responded, “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the Lord your God.’” Next the devil took him to the peak of a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. “I will give it all to you,” he said, “if you will kneel down and worship me.” “Get out of here, Satan,” Jesus told him. “For the Scriptures say, ‘You must worship the Lord your God and serve only him.’” Then the devil went away, and angels came and took care of Jesus.
Matthew 4:1-11

Dear God, so I woke up this morning and found an email from a friend in our group at church. He told me that he had gone down to the chapel at our church and prayed for my wife and me as we go through something painful. It had to be in the top 5 of humbling, kind, loving things I can think of that anyone has ever done for me. I was overwhelmed by it.

I believe in spiritual warfare, but I don’t live enough like I do. When I look at challenging situations or temptations I often forget to pray about the spiritual realm. But even this story about direct interactions between Jesus and Satan is a reminder that in any crisis I’m facing, even if Satan did cause the crisis itself, he’s certainly trying to influence my response to it.

Father, even now, help me to not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from your mouth. Give me ears to hear, eyes to see your reality, and wisdom/discernment to know how you need me to respond. Help me to not test you. Help me to not doubt your goodness. Help me to keep my faith in you. Thank you for the confirmations you’ve sent me in the past through all sorts of trials. Whether it’s through my work, my marriage, relationships with my children or family of origin, or with others in the community, help me to walk the road you need me to walk so that your will might be done and your kingdom will come to earth.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on July 12, 2021 in Matthew

 

“God’s Country” by Blake Shelton

11 Jul

“God’s Country” by Blake Shelton

Right outside of this one church town
There’s a gold dirt road to a whole lot of nothin’
Got a deed to the land, but it ain’t my ground
This is God’s country
We pray for rain, and thank Him when it’s fallen
‘Cause it brings a grain and a little bit of money
We put it back in the plate
I guess that’s why they call it God’s countryI saw the light in the sunrise
Sittin’ back in a 40 on the muddy riverside
Gettin’ baptized in holy water and ‘shine
With the dogs runnin’
Saved by the sound of the been found
Dixie whistled in the wind, that’ll get you Heaven bound
The Devil went down to Georgia but he didn’t stick around
This is God’s countryWe turned the dirt and worked until the week’s done
We take a break and break bread on Sunday
And then do it all again
‘Cause we’re proud to be from God’s country (yeah, yeah)I saw the light in the sunrise
Sittin’ back in a 40 on the muddy riverside
Gettin’ baptized in holy water and ‘shine
With the dogs runnin’
Saved by the sound of the been found
Dixie whistled in the wind, that’ll get you Heaven bound
The Devil went down to Georgia but he didn’t stick around
This is God’s country (yeah)God’s countryI don’t care what my headstone reads
Or what kind of pinewood box I end up in
When it’s my time, lay me six feet deep
In God’s country (yeah, yeah)I saw the light in the sunrise
Sittin’ back in a 40 on the muddy riverside
Gettin’ baptized in holy water and ‘shine
With the dogs runnin’
Saved by the sound of the been found
Dixie whistled in the wind, that’ll get you Heaven bound
The devil went down to Georgia but he didn’t stick around
This is God’s country (God’s country)
Yeah, I saw the light in the sunrise
Sittin’ back in a 40 on the muddy riverside
Gettin’ baptized in holy water and ‘shine
With the dogs runnin’
Saved by the sound of the been found
Dixie whistled in the wind, that’ll get you Heaven bound
The Devil went down to Georgia but he didn’t stick around
This is God’s country

Source: LyricFind

Songwriters: Devin Dawson / Jordan Schmidt / Michael Wilson Hardy

Dear God, I was helping a relative do some manual labor work yesterday and this song came on their playlist. I hadn’t heard it before. When I heard the phrase “God’s country,” I started paying attention to the lyrics. I had an immediate negative reaction to the song. As I listened more and heard him talk about being baptized by the rain and such I started to wonder if I shouldn’t like this song and maybe I was missing something. I decided then that I would look at it again this morning and spend some time thinking about what was rubbing me the wrong way and discern if I was wrong or if it was perhaps revealing a truth about our world.

In the end, I think it’s possible that Mr. Shelton and the writers of this song have relationships with you that are deep and personal, but I think this song affirms a view of you that’s not much different than the Greeks had of Zeus. You are this big powerful up there who expects our worship, tributes, and even our tithe, but where’s the relationship? Where’s the humility? Where’s the “love the Lord your God with all your mind, soul, and strength and love your neighbor as yourself”? Is it implied? In the lyrics. Maybe Shelton and the writers intended to imply it, but I would bet that a lot of the people who love the song don’t infer that.

This goes back to the theme of my prayers to. You over the last couple of months when I heard the sermon by Andy Stanley when he talked about the difference between being a believer in you and a follower of you. A believer just gives you your homage (maybe) and prays when they want something. A follower seeks to be transformed by you into your likeness. A follower works out their faith with fear and trembling. A follower sincerely asks what Jesus would do, not just to decide what action to take, but to also repent of the part of their heart that doesn’t want to follow that path.

Father, any song that talks about you but drives me to strut around with my chest out is probably not giving me the right ideas. Like I said, Mr. Shelton and the writers of this song might be in deep relationship with you, but I can completely see this song being played over loudspeakers at a Christian Nationalist event. So help me to put songs like this in their place. They aren’t bad. I would just call it incomplete. There’s nothing wrong with feeling confident in you and your provision. There’s nothing wrong with feeling proud of my faith. Just help me to remember that there’s more. There’s this time. There’s the time I spend praying to you—repenting and seeking your wisdom and insight. I need wisdom and insight right now. Help me.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on July 11, 2021 in Hymns and Songs, Musings and Stories

 

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Philippians 1:12-19

10 Jul

And I want you to know, my dear brothers and sisters, that everything that has happened to me here has helped to spread the Good News. For everyone here, including the whole palace guard, knows that I am in chains because of Christ. And because of my imprisonment, most of the believers here have gained confidence and boldly speak God’s message without fear. It’s true that some are preaching out of jealousy and rivalry. But others preach about Christ with pure motives. They preach because they love me, for they know I have been appointed to defend the Good News. Those others do not have pure motives as they preach about Christ. They preach with selfish ambition, not sincerely, intending to make my chains more painful to me. But that doesn’t matter. Whether their motives are false or genuine, the message about Christ is being preached either way, so I rejoice. And I will continue to rejoice. For I know that as you pray for me and the Spirit of Jesus Christ helps me, this will lead to my deliverance.
Philippians 1:12-19

Dear God, Paul really did have a remarkable way of looking beyond himself, his own comfort or agenda, and seeing what you might be doing in spite of his own circumstances. He had that ultimate level of faith that told him his life meant nothing to him, but his time on earth was about making as much of a difference for you as possible, regardless of what it cost him personally. It’s the lesson Job ultimately learned in his story, but Paul seems to have come to it much more quickly.

As for me? Well, I confess I still like my comfort and I still get fussy when I perceive my rights are being trampled. I still want to enact my agenda and how I think things should happen as opposed to how you need them to happen. I’m better. I at least am aware I have deficiencies. So that’s something. But I have a long ways to go.

Father, help me to live Paul’s words in Acts 20:24: “But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God.”

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on July 10, 2021 in Philippians

 

Ephesians 3:20

09 Jul

Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.
Ephesians 3:20

Dear God, when I read this verse this morning my first thought was, “So I wonder what I’m failing to ask for.”

I heard recently that Warren Buffett has a rule of 5/25. Basically, the idea is to list your top 25 lite goals, narrow it down to the top 5 priorities for you, and then forget about the other 20. I’m probably screwing that up, but it’s the basic idea. The theory is that you probably only have time to really accomplish five significant things in life, so don’t be distracted by the things that are less important to you and focus on those top five. I haven’t done this exercise since I read about it, but it seemed like an interesting idea. I guess I would caution anyone to develop their 5/25 list with a lot of care, examining it through the lens of the two great commandments (love you with all our soul, mind and strength and love our neighbors as ourself), starting each item with the question, “Is this about my glory or God’s?”

Father, I have an early meeting today in which I will be working with others to start the process of visioning and planning for the future for our nonprofit. Guide us in this. Show us what we are failing to see. Holy Spirit, inspire us to tap fully into you and give us your vision for the needs you want us to meet. Help us to give our utmost for your highest.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on July 9, 2021 in Ephesians

 

Psalm 139:19-22

08 Jul

O God, if only you would destroy the wicked! Get out of my life, you murderers! They blaspheme you; your enemies misuse your name. O Lord, shouldn’t I hate those who hate you? Shouldn’t I despise those who oppose you? Yes, I hate them with total hatred, for your enemies are my enemies.
Psalm 139:19-22

Dear God, most of this psalm is about being known by you. It’s really quite beautiful—and unnerving. To be known that well is scary. For my sinfulness to be known. My secret thoughts. My jealousies and pettiness. I could go on and on, but I want to get to the part of the psalm I’ve copied here. Suffice it to say, I’m really sorry, I will do better, and I submit to you. Thank you fir loving me anyway.

Now, for this passage, it’s an example of why I have trouble with some of the theology in the psalms. I wish we knew when David wrote this and what was going on. For me, his live is divided into two parts: pre-Bathsheba and post-Bathsheba. Just before Bathsheba was his apex. After Bathsheba seemed to cost him all of the moral high ground with those around him. He lost control and it chased him the rest of his life.

So we have this passage where he is calling for revenge. He is asking you to take the mercy for which he begged you for himself (see Psalm 51) and throw it away when it comes to his enemies. At the end of his life, he even asks Solomon to destroy a man who once harassed David while he ran from Absalom. I’m sorry, but I just don’t think this is right.

Father, I spent some time reading about the unrest in Haiti this morning and I couldn’t even wrap my head around the idea of how awful it must be right now for every single person in that society, regardless of their wealth or political standing. Thank you fir the mercy that I have never had to face that. But right now, I do pray for your peace over their land. I pray that there will be repentance. I pray that everyone, from the corrupt political officials, to the militant gangs, to the wealthy who take advantage of the poor, to the wealthy who try to do good, to the poor and working class people, will repent, turn away from voodoo and mysticism, or from their own selfish desires, and turn to you. I pray that you will not destroy, but enable everyone to embrace Jesus and mercy. I know this sounds too simplistic, but I have zero idea of how to pray for them intelligently. All I know to do is ask that you intervene and help them, and right now, David’s approach sounds like the world’s answer, but not yours under the new covenant we have through Jesus. I especially pray for those there who call on your name. Help the fathers and husbands provide protection and resources for their families, help the women know also how to provide and protect their families, help the children to be at peace and find another path forward than the lathe their society has followed for generations, and help all of them to bring your love and presence into their country.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on July 8, 2021 in Psalms

 

July 7 Reading from “My Utmost for His Highest” by Oswald Chambers

07 Jul

“If we are going to live as disciples of Jesus, we have to remember that all efforts of worth and excellence are difficult. The Christian life is gloriously difficult, but its difficulty does not make us faint and cave in— it stirs us up to overcome. Do we appreciate the miraculous salvation of Jesus Christ enough to be our utmost for His highest— our best for His glory?” (Excerpted from the July 7 reading in My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers)

Dear God, to be stirred up for you can be a wonderful thing. It can take the staleness that life can sometime become and infuse energy and vision. But it doesn’t happen by accident. I can’t just cruise along and then one day your inspiration falls on me. Well, I guess it could, but that will take very intentional action on your part. No, it’s most likely to come when I take moments like this to spend time with you. When I set up meetings with others to plan and then invite you into the process.

I have a meeting set up today with another agency in town. I asked for the meeting. I’ve asked them to think about some of the needs in our community and how they think our agency might respond to them. This process will push me out of my comfort zone, but my prayer is that you will meet me in it, speak to me in your still small voice, and then inspire me to do what you see that needs done.

Father, I give you a lot…well, I give you a bit. I give you some. But I don’t give you my utmost. I still keep quite a bit for myself. For my comfort. For my leisure. And it’s important that I take Sabbaths and not burn out, but that’s not what I’m talking about here. I’m talking about giving my utmost for your highest. Help me to get there.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on July 7, 2021 in My Utmost for His Highest Scripture of the Day

 

Matthew 9:35-38

06 Jul

Jesus traveled through all the towns and villages of that area, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And he healed every kind of disease and illness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. He said to his disciples, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.”
Matthew 9:35-38

Dear God, when I read this passage this morning I was struck by the last few words: “…ask him to send more workers into his fields.” I’m surprised he didn’t tell them that they needed to get to work. Sure, maybe that was implied because he knew it would take more than them to get the job done. And presumably people would have to be taught, either by Jesus or someone who knew Jesus, how to be a harvester. It still strikes me that each of us has a role to play in your kingdom and the intimation for me here is that not everyone Jesus was addressing was intended to be a harvester.

I think there are probably two things all of us need to pay attention to as we work out our faith and our place in your kingdom. First, we need to seek your direction and follow when we feel led. Second, we need to make sure that we stay with your guidance on the journey and don’t say things that will accidentally lead people away from you.

Father, help me to get past some of the things I allow to distract me from you and the work you’ve given to me. Help me to not only work hard, but to work within the construct of seeking your presence and wisdom. Speak to me through Scripture. Speak to me through others. Give me a discerning heart that will separate the wheat from the chaff so that I might be both a servant in your kingdom and avoid being someone who accidentally or intentionally leads others away from you.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on July 6, 2021 in Matthew

 

Genesis 28:10-22

05 Jul

Meanwhile, Jacob left Beersheba and traveled toward Haran. At sundown he arrived at a good place to set up camp and stopped there for the night. Jacob found a stone to rest his head against and lay down to sleep. As he slept, he dreamed of a stairway that reached from the earth up to heaven. And he saw the angels of God going up and down the stairway. At the top of the stairway stood the Lord, and he said, “I am the Lord , the God of your grandfather Abraham, and the God of your father, Isaac. The ground you are lying on belongs to you. I am giving it to you and your descendants. Your descendants will be as numerous as the dust of the earth! They will spread out in all directions—to the west and the east, to the north and the south. And all the families of the earth will be blessed through you and your descendants. What’s more, I am with you, and I will protect you wherever you go. One day I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have finished giving you everything I have promised you.” Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I wasn’t even aware of it!” But he was also afraid and said, “What an awesome place this is! It is none other than the house of God, the very gateway to heaven!” The next morning Jacob got up very early. He took the stone he had rested his head against, and he set it upright as a memorial pillar. Then he poured olive oil over it. He named that place Bethel (which means “house of God”), although it was previously called Luz. Then Jacob made this vow: “If God will indeed be with me and protect me on this journey, and if he will provide me with food and clothing, and if I return safely to my father’s home, then the Lord will certainly be my God. And this memorial pillar I have set up will become a place for worshiping God, and I will present to God a tenth of everything he gives me.”
Genesis 28:10-2

Dear God, it is hard to make the decision to worship you as our father worships you. Well, that’s not quite right. Let me put it this way. At some point, each of us has to make a decision. In this case, Jacob had wanted his father’s blessing that came from you, the God his father served, but judging from the ultimatum Jacob laid out at the end of this passage, he really didn’t have any intention of serving you until this experience. You weren’t yet his God.

At some point, my grandfather had to make a decision about following you. He had to do it for himself. I wish I had asked him about his faith while he was alive. I went to church with him and my grandmother. I saw him sing in the choir. I went to a Bible study with both of them once when I was in college. I know they went to at least one retreat at a Christian retreat center. But I don’t know much about his personal relationship with you or his journey to being your child. I don’t know his testimony.

I do, however, know my dad’s testimony and how he had to wrestle with you before he submitted. And I know my own testimony. Mine wasn’t as much of a wrestling as a seeking. When someone would tel me about the fruits of the Spirit you offer through submitted relationship (along with the fire insurance from hell), I wanted it. I was willing to give up my will for yours. At least in the moment. It seems I continuously struggle to take back piece of self-indulgence that I’ve surrendered to you. But I’m still here, working out my faith day by day.

Now it’s my children’s turn to figure it out for themselves. They are grown. And I’ve seen them each respond to life and to you differently. I’m reminded of when my grandmother (father’s mother) used to tell me that she just wanted her three sons to be “fine Christian men.” I’m sure that’s what Abraham wanted for Isaac and Ishmael (well, maybe Godly since “Christian” didn’t exist yet). I’m sure that’s what Isaac wanted for Esau and Jacob. And now, this passage shows a step Jacob was taking in that journey.

Father, my grandfather has completed his journey. Help his sons on theirs. Help their children on theirs (including me on mine). And help the children of this next generation. Give visions. Beckon. Inspire. Convict. Whatever it takes. Do it for all of our sakes and for your glory.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on July 5, 2021 in Genesis

 

Mark 6:1-6

04 Jul

Jesus left that part of the country and returned with his disciples to Nazareth, his hometown. The next Sabbath he began teaching in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed. They asked, “Where did he get all this wisdom and the power to perform such miracles?” Then they scoffed, “He’s just a carpenter, the son of Mary and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon. And his sisters live right here among us.” They were deeply offended and refused to believe in him. Then Jesus told them, “A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown and among his relatives and his own family.” And because of their unbelief, he couldn’t do any miracles among them except to place his hands on a few sick people and heal them. And he was amazed at their unbelief. Then Jesus went from village to village, teaching the people.
Mark 6:1-6

Dear God, I am sure this isn’t the future Mary envisioned all those years ago. Way back in the manger with the shepherds and Joseph. In the temple with Simeon and Anna (Luke 2). Way back with the wise men. Way back when she and Elizabeth would talk about what the figure held for their boys. Sitting up late, nursing Jesus and talking to Joseph. I am certain they couldn’t help but speculate as to what you were going to do with Jesus’s life. And now, here he is, being rejected by her friends and neighbors. I don’t know if Mary was in on it, but in Mark 3:21, his family thinks he’s crazy. In Matthew 12, she’s with his brothers and trying to speak to him. No, this wasn’t at all working out like it was supposed to.

I’ve been pretty disillusioned by how I thought my children’s lives and my relationships with them would work out. The reality has proven to be very different than my expectations. At least I know I’m in good company. If Jesus’s mother was concerned about his behavior and his brothers tried to take him away, if their family was broken and dysfunctional, then maybe we have the wrong paradigm for what a functional family will look like. If, in my opinion, the two best parents in the Bible, raising your son, ended up walking a disappointing path with their children, maybe I shouldn’t expect any better—either from my life of me as a child of my parents or from me as a parent.

Father, help me to simply take my eyes off of what I think should be and put them on you. Let your kingdom come and your will be done on earth. Do it through me. Do it in spite of how I might accidentally get in your way. Do it for your glory.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on July 4, 2021 in Mark

 
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