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Ephesians 6:1-4

18 Jun

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother”—this is the first commandment with a promise: “so that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.” And, fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
Ephesians 6:1-4

Dear God, I just had a thought I probably shouldn’t have had: “Sorry, Paul, but I don’t take parenting advice from people with no children.” I mean, what he’s saying is correct and important, but the people who seem to think parenting is easy are the ones with no children. I certainly thought it was easier before I had children. And I thought I would be better at it.

What’s interesting for me now is that parenting has humbled me in ways that probably nothing else could. Now, I’m the last person to give parenting advice to someone, and I’m the first one to be an understanding ear when a parent needs to talk about their frustrations. And I was telling a friend just yesterday about the period of time when I was really disappointed in you and what I perceived was a lack of support on your part. I did all of the things I knew to do, including following Paul’s counsel in this passage, but things did not turn out like I hoped. I knew I wouldn’t be the perfect parent, and I knew my children wouldn’t be perfect people, but I thought there would be a baseline of protection that my prayers, pursuit of you, and deep involvement in loving them would provide. But that’s not the way it worked out.

Father, the last 25 years of parenting have taught me more about faith and believing in things I cannot see than anything else could have. And I’ve started to see some movement. I’ve started to see some signs that this is the road that leads to your kingdom coming and your will being done in my life, my children’s lives, my wife’s life, and the world as it is in heaven. Thank you for breaking me down and building me back up in this way. Thank you for what you are doing that I can see and that I cannot see. Please help me to do exactly what you need me to do as a parent of two young adults so that I won’t get in the way of what you are trying to teach them. I’m willing to sacrifice anything fir their good, no matter what it might cost me personally.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on June 18, 2021 in Ephesians

 

2 Corinthians 11:1-3

17 Jun

I hope you will put up with a little more of my foolishness. Please bear with me. For I am jealous for you with the jealousy of God himself. I promised you as a pure bride to one husband—Christ. But I fear that somehow your pure and undivided devotion to Christ will be corrupted, just as Eve was deceived by the cunning ways of the serpent.
2 Corinthians 11:1-3

Dear God, my first though when I read this passage this morning was to wonder how a church, any church, or even the church where I attend would respond to your criticism. How are we failing you and what would be our response if someone like Paul came to us in your name and laid into us like this? The odds are that our corporate response wouldn’t be very good. We would likely be defensive and throw Paul’s letter away. Which brings up a question I’ve never once considered before: How do we still have this letter today? Why was it not destroyed before it could be canonized? I guess we know at least one key person took it to heart and preserved it.

Anyway, back on topic. My next question was to personalize it more. How would I respond to a prophet of you coming to me with criticism? My initial thought is, “It depends on who the person is.” There are some people from whom I can hear criticism and some I cannot. I’m less likely to hear criticism from my family of origin than I am from a close friend or even members of the board of directors where I work. But then I start to try to discern what types of criticism would you have for me. If I ask the question internally, what do I hear the Holy Spirit telling me?

Father, as a church, give us ears to hear and humility to accept your rebukes. And as for me, give me ears to hear and the willingness to sacrifice whatever you are calling me to sacrifice so that I might not waste the precious, short life you’ve given to me.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on June 17, 2021 in 2 Corinthians

 

Matthew 6:1-4

16 Jun

“Watch out! Don’t do your good deeds publicly, to be admired by others, for you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven. When you give to someone in need, don’t do as the hypocrites do—blowing trumpets in the synagogues and streets to call attention to their acts of charity! I tell you the truth, they have received all the reward they will ever get. But when you give to someone in need, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. Give your gifts in private, and your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.
Matthew 6:1-4

Dear God, this is a hard one for me. Well, yes and no. I’ve certainly gotten better about it. but there’s this piece of me that enjoys both doing kind deeds for people when no one is looking and then there is the part of me that enjoys an accolade now and then.

Why is it important that we give of ourselves anonymously? Well, I think those are the times when we are reflecting your image the most. After all, how many times are you doing things for me and I don’t realize it’s you? I try to recognize you in the moment and in the good things, but I know I only see a small fraction of what you’re actually doing. And when I give, pray, serve, fast, etc. privately then we are doing it as just something intimate between you and me. It’s me recognizing your goodness and then sharing a piece of my life—killing a piece of my selfishness—because there is no material gain for me. Yes, killing off a piece of my selfishness. That’s probably the best way to put it.

Father, help me to joyously kill yet another piece of my selfishness today. Love through me. Encourage through me. Bring your kingdom and Will into the world through me. I’m sorry for my vain need for notoriety.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on June 16, 2021 in Matthew

 

Proverbs 23:26-28

15 Jun

O my son, give me your heart. May your eyes take delight in following my ways. A prostitute is a dangerous trap; a promiscuous woman is as dangerous as falling into a narrow well. She hides and waits like a robber, eager to make more men unfaithful.
Proverbs 23:26-28

Dear God, I have to say that when I read this I thought, “I’m sorry, Solomon, but what?!?” This is interesting advice from a man who ultimately had hundreds of wives and concubines. What exactly did “faithful” mean to him?

Setting his hypocrisy aside, I have two thoughts about this. First, of course faithfulness in a marriage is of the utmost importance. Second, a more “woke” version way of looking at this is to wonder why the promiscuous woman is singled out as a temptation and not the promiscuous man. It’s a version of sexism we are only recently waking up to. Men behave badly, betray their wives, etc. and the woman is blamed for being the temptress. Yes, she shares in the blame. I’ve known women who knowingly had affairs with married men, and the women have some culpability. But it’s the man’s choice. For me, I choose if I let it start by allowing myself to see media that arouses sexual or non-sexual discontent in my marriage. Then if I start to entertain those thoughts the path can lead to some level of unfaithfulness to my wife. So Solomon is not wrong in his advice. He is just not complete in it. That prostitute to whom he refers has a story that led her down that road. In modern times, that porn star or even the woman willing to be promiscuous and make poor decisions usually has some damage from her past. She’s a person and not just a thing.

Father, help me to keep myself pure. Help me to guard against…well, to put it like Jesus put it, lead me not into temptation, but deliver me from evil.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on June 15, 2021 in Proverbs

 

Philippians 3:17-21

14 Jun

Dear brothers and sisters, pattern your lives after mine, and learn from those who follow our example. For I have told you often before, and I say it again with tears in my eyes, that there are many whose conduct shows they are really enemies of the cross of Christ. They are headed for destruction. Their god is their appetite, they brag about shameful things, and they think only about this life here on earth. But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior. He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control.
Philippians 3:17-21

Dear God, I am struck by the emotion Paul has as he writes these words. He says, “…I say it again with tears in my eyes…” he’s writing with passion. He hurts over both his own suffering and the contempt with which some are treating you. He is longing for your quick return to end it. I wonder if he died disappointed that you never came back before he was killed or if he had grown more at peace with his situation as time went on.

I’ve certainly been disappointed with you and my circumstances before. I probably will be again. But you seem to teach me through those times, and I can usually see, in retrospect, what you were doing either for me or to further your kingdom and your plan. For Paul, I would imagine he had figured out at least part of your plan before he died, but I’m sure he didn’t realize just how much you would use his life, suffering, and death for thousands of years to come. He didn’t realize his name would be in the pantheon of names that will be known for hundreds of generations because it would lead Christianity through history, including to me.

Father, thank you for an example of a believer—a great leader in Christian history—who often didn’t understand more about his present situation than I understand about mine. Thank you for not sparing me frustrations, but for teaching me through them. Thank you for giving me as much life as you’ve given me. Help me to not waste it, but to maximize my moments for you, your kingdom, and your purposes.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on June 14, 2021 in Philippians

 

You Can Do Anything You Want In Life

13 Jun

Dear God, I have a friend who is dying. While I sat watching him lie in bed yesterday and then listened to people talk about him in the times when I wasn’t in the room with him, I started to kind of put some things together.

First, earlier in the day, he wasn’t ready. He was scared. He was fighting the oncoming death. He’s been on hospice for weeks. He’s been terminally ill for years. But he wasn’t ready. He didn’t want any medications to ease his pain or anxiety. Yeah. He wasn’t ready. Then, and for his privacy’s sake I won’t go into too much detail, but about the middle of the day he was tired. He was ready.

So what was he ready for? Well, as I sit and think about myself and what I hold onto in life, I think there might be a few things.

  • Ready to stop participating in the world and its history.
  • Ready to stop contributing to the lives around me.
  • Ready to accept that I’ve done all I will do and the world will now go on without me, perhaps forgetting me completely.
  • Ready to say goodbye.

So how does that relate to the title I gave this prayer? Well, when one mom was talking about this friend’s influence on her children, she said he always instilled in them that they could do anything they wanted to do, but it would take hard work. When I heard this, I started to put some things together–even in my own heart. For so many of us, this is how we approach life. We have things to accomplish. We have things we want to achieve. We have power to attain, influence to acquire, and admiration to earn. Ultimately, we want to be able to stack up our life against someone else’s and hope we compare favorably. And I use all of this broadly and from a worldly perspective because these are the things the world calls us to do.

But what if we take the philosophy of doing anything we want in life and bring it under your authority? When we get to the end of the road, what is it that you would like us to stack up for comparison?

  • We we able to be humble, admit our faults/weaknesses, and share them with others?
  • Did we pursue relationship with you and become more Christlike in the process? In other words, were we Jesus followers, and not just Jesus believers?
  • Were we in close enough relationship with you that we knew to stop and listen for your still, small voice to call us to action?
  • Did we love richly and give your mercy to others?
  • Did we bring others the hope and peace of relationship with you?

Out of the 350 million Americans, or 6+ billion people in the world, the odds are long that my life will be remembered more than a few years beyond my death. Few people achieve the notoriety of leaving a mark on the world like presidents of the United States, great captains of industry like Steve Jobs, etc. No, my life will be smaller than theirs. But that’s okay.

Father, what I want in life is to be found faithful. I want to be open-minded to the idea that I don’t know as much as I think I know–about the world, or myself. I want to be willing to do what I think is right even though it might cost me the love of someone I love, even if what I’m doing is for their good. I want to have touched lives in a way that plays throughout history, and it’s okay if I do this anonymously. It’s okay if my name is lost to history. I know it is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. That’s all I need.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on June 13, 2021 in Miscellaneous, Musings and Stories

 

Matthew 7:13-14

09 Jun

“You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.
Matthew 7:13-14

Dear God, I know that ultimately only you know how the afterlife works. These two verses leave me wondering why it would be so hard to spend eternity with you, but something tells me I’m not going to figure it out in this moment, or really at anytime this side of death, so I’m not going to dwell on it. What I do want to appreciate this morning is the value in choosing the narrow road.

I’ve sinned enough in my life to appreciate how wide the narrow road is and what it’s like to live on it. One thing I always find on that road is guilt and shame. It’s a cloud that follows me when I’m on that road. Of course, when I feel shame then I want to hide my sin and even hide from you. I don’t want to pray. I don’t want to pursue you. I get past the initial euphoria of being on such a wide road with so many self-indulgent options and find myself feeling isolated and alone.

Father, the narrow road is hard, but it’s where I find peace. Thank you for making the narrow road attainable, both at the beginning of my Christian walk and when I stray to the other road while on my journey. Thank you for the sacrifice of Jesus. Thank you for the Holy Spirit. I’m prone to wander, Lord. I feel it. I’m prone to leave the God I love. Here’s my heart. Take and seal it. Seal it for your courts above.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on June 9, 2021 in Matthew

 

Habakkuk 3:17-19

08 Jun

Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, yet I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation! The Sovereign Lord is my strength! He makes me as surefooted as a deer, able to tread upon the heights. (For the choir director: This prayer is to be accompanied by stringed instruments.)
Habakkuk 3:17-19

Dear God, first, a side note, I was listening to an interview yesterday with a man who just wrote a book on prayer. One of the comments that was thrown out mentioned those in Evangelical churches that reject the idea of written prayers because they are not spontaneous and heartfelt. But the paradox is that they Evangelicals will sing prayerful worship songs to you when they are pretty much prayers written by someone else. The only difference is the rhymes and the melody. His point was not that we should abandon spontaneous prayer, but that we should not be so quickly dismissive of pre-written prayers. This prayer set to music by Habakkuk is a good example of a pre-written prayer set to music, but it’s a prayer nonetheless—just like the book of Psalms.

Back to this passage, what strikes me about this entire chapter is that it paints a dangerous, vengeful, destructive picture of you. The entire thing is about the destruction you can bring around you, but the point seems to be in the last verse. Even in the midst of calamity around me, you are my strength, making me as sure footed as a deer treading in difficult places.

Father, please give me your strength as I go through this day. I have several friends right now who are going through calamity. Frankly, it’s so many I’m losing track. For those who have broken joints and bones, who have lost loved ones, who are in hospice, or are simply walking a difficult road, I pray that you would be their strength. I ask that you help them to feel as sure footed as a deer walking on difficult ground. Help me to know how you need me to be there for each one.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on June 8, 2021 in Habakkuk

 

Ephesians 3:8-19

06 Jun

Though I am the least deserving of all God’s people, he graciously gave me the privilege of telling the Gentiles about the endless treasures available to them in Christ. I was chosen to explain to everyone this mysterious plan that God, the Creator of all things, had kept secret from the beginning. God’s purpose in all this was to use the church to display his wisdom in its rich variety to all the unseen rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This was his eternal plan, which he carried out through Christ Jesus our Lord. Because of Christ and our faith in him, we can now come boldly and confidently into God’s presence. So please don’t lose heart because of my trials here. I am suffering for you, so you should feel honored. When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.
Ephesians 3:8-19

Dear God, this is another of those passages where the translators and publishers put in section breaks that obscure greater depth in the passage’s meaning. I want to spend some time with these verses this morning and link Paul’s thoughts together as one as opposed to the two sections the publishers of the New Living Translation (NLT) divided them into.

He graciously gave me the privilege of telling the Gentiles about the endless treasures available to them in Christ.

So let me start here. What are the endless treasures? How would I describe them? I suppose they would have to start with the cutting of the cord between me and the shame of my sin. That’s what the mercy you offer through Jesus’s life, death and resurrection gives us. Then, when it comes to the fruit of the Spirit, the most precious one to me is peace. Of course, the other fruits are just as important: love, joy, patience, gentleness, goodness, faithfulness, kindness, self control. Those are treasures beyond compare. Then there’s one thing that is incredibly powerful that I just realized is not considered to be a fruit of the Spirit. I think it’s just a fact of something we have in you: hope. My faith brings me hope. Hope that there is something happening beyond what I can see with my physical eyes. Hope that I can count on an ultimate existence in your presence for eternity. Hope that there is something happening in your plan that is bigger than what might benefit me or play out the way I think it should play out. No, the treasures aren’t earthly treasures of wealth, comfort, or pleasure (notice pleasure is NOT a fruit of the Spirit). It’s so much more than that.

God’s purpose in all this was to use the church to display his wisdom in its rich variety to all the unseen rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.

Okay, I do not remember seeing this before. Your plan for us as your church is to show the unseen rulers in heavenly places your wisdom? I wanted to see this in some different translations. Here is what The Message said: Through followers of Jesus like yourselves gather in churches, this extraordinary plan of God is becoming known and talked about even among the angels! The New American Standard was pretty close to the NLT: …so that the multifaceted wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places. So there is something to this. We are part of your display to all of your creation, both what we can see with our human eyes, and what we cannot see. How is this working for you? Are we, as a church, making you look foolish? When we lose our first love, do you put your figurative head in your hands and think, “What have I done?”

I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong.

Paul was very in tune with the Holy Spirit and his role in our lives. Jesus left us the Holy Spirit to be our counselor and comforter–to be his presence with us–and Paul always remembered this. It always seems to lead me back to the fruits of the Spirit from Galatians 5. I’m so glad we have that list from him. But the roots are only developed if they are nurtured, the soil is tended and weeded, and we remain in your presence.

And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love it. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes fromod.

Father, it starts and ends with these amazing treasures made available to me through Jesus. And this ultimate treasure is the ability to get a glimpse of your love for me and draw closer to you through giving your roots the environment they need to grow in my heart. Your love brings me so many wonderful things. And your relationship with us is so interesting because it seems to bring you something as well. You are a wondrous, marvelous God, and I am grateful for the opportunity to get to worship and know you. Help me to remember and be motivated to take the treasures that are of you and give them to others.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on June 6, 2021 in Ephesians

 

Proverbs 1:10-19

05 Jun

My child, if sinners entice you, turn your back on them! They may say, “Come and join us. Let’s hide and kill someone! Just for fun, let’s ambush the innocent! Let’s swallow them alive, like the grave; let’s swallow them whole, like those who go down to the pit of death. Think of the great things we’ll get! We’ll fill our houses with all the stuff we take. Come, throw in your lot with us; we’ll all share the loot.” My child, don’t go along with them! Stay far away from their paths. They rush to commit evil deeds. They hurry to commit murder. If a bird sees a trap being set, it knows to stay away. But these people set an ambush for themselves; they are trying to get themselves killed. Such is the fate of all who are greedy for money; it robs them of life.
Proverbs 1:10-19

Dear God, I was reading in Proverbs the other day (I think it was chapter 15, and I did a prayer journal on it), and I started wondering what patterns I might be able to see if I were to take each verse in a chapter, put it into a category and then reorganize the verses into their categories. Would there be any value to seeing all of the “like” verses put together in sequence? Would there be any new understandings revealed to me?

I sat down this morning with chapter 1, and I found it wasn’t like some of the other chapters. It is actually a little more thematic and a little less “fortune cookie-ish.” It talked about pursuing wisdom, heeding parents’ instruction, avoiding bad influences, and shunning the foolishness of being willful and stubborn. It made me think of a sermon I listened to this morning from Andy Stanley. He talked about following you instead of just believing in you. He talked about being with people who draw us deeper into our walk with you–who do not draw us away from following you.

In Proverbs 1:10-19, Solomon gives an extreme example of sinners enticing believers, but I think the same is true even if the enticement isn’t quite as extreme as the murder plot Solomon describes. If I believe that the life I am supposed to live is a life full of humility before my creator and extending that same mercy to others, then how can I survive being influenced by people who believe that they are their own gods and their own will is what life is about? How will that work in friendship? How will that work in a romantic relationship? How will that work in any area of life. While we need to be in the world and have relationships that challenge us and allow us to challenge them, we have to be careful to make our core support those who are like-minded.

Father, I don’t know if I’ll do anything with this Proverbs project or not. I still need to finish my “Mothers of the Bible” and “Fathers of the Bible” projects. And I feel like those are important. But maybe if I spend some time in Proverbs as well, I can be reminded of the third dimension of our lives that is found in the wisdom you admonish us to pursue.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on June 5, 2021 in Proverbs

 
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