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Mark 9:2-10

25 Feb

Six days later Jesus took Peter, James, and John, and led them up a high mountain to be alone. As the men watched, Jesus’ appearance was transformed, and his clothes became dazzling white, far whiter than any earthly bleach could ever make them. Then Elijah and Moses appeared and began talking with Jesus. Peter exclaimed, “Rabbi, it’s wonderful for us to be here! Let’s make three shelters as memorials —one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” He said this because he didn’t really know what else to say, for they were all terrified. Then a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my dearly loved Son. Listen to him.” Suddenly, when they looked around, Moses and Elijah were gone, and they saw only Jesus with them. As they went back down the mountain, he told them not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. So they kept it to themselves, but they often asked each other what he meant by “rising from the dead.”

Mark 9:2-10

Dear God, I never before wondered why Jesus took Peter, James, and John with him, but I suppose this was a story that you/he wanted us to know. It makes me wonder how many more events like this Jesus had when there were no witnesses. Now that I think about it, I doubt this was the first time because it seems like Jesus knew what he was doing when he invited these three men to join him.

So why did they need to see this? Well, it was obviously for the post-resurrection experience because that’s what Jesus tells them. It’s not for comfort between the crucifixion and the resurrection. It’s for confirmation of who Jesus is AFTER the resurrection. And he didn’t take just one or two witnesses. He took three. He obviously wanted credibility for the men testifying that this event happened. He wanted people to know that there was something on an historical scale happening here.

Father, thank you for this story. Thank you for taking time to affirm who you are, who Jesus is as a part of the Trinity, and who I am as your child. Give me faith to see beyond what my eyes can see and patience to await your timing for the desires of my heart.

In Jesus’ name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on February 25, 2018 in Mark

 

Jeremiah 29:4-14

24 Feb

This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says to all the captives he has exiled to Babylon from Jerusalem: “Build homes, and plan to stay. Plant gardens, and eat the food they produce. Marry and have children. Then find spouses for them so that you may have many grandchildren. Multiply! Do not dwindle away! And work for the peace and prosperity of the city where I sent you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, for its welfare will determine your welfare.” This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: “Do not let your prophets and fortune-tellers who are with you in the land of Babylon trick you. Do not listen to their dreams, because they are telling you lies in my name. I have not sent them,” says the Lord. This is what the Lord says: “You will be in Babylon for seventy years. But then I will come and do for you all the good things I have promised, and I will bring you home again. For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. I will be found by you,” says the Lord. “I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes. I will gather you out of the nations where I sent you and will bring you home again to your own land.”

Jeremiah 29:4-14

Dear God, I can’t tell you how many times I have heard verse 11 misapplied by people who don’t understand this passage. Along with “by his stripes we are healed” at my church when I lived in Waco, it’s probably one of the most misapplied verses I know. The key to verse eleven starts in verse 4. “Hold on. Don’t lose hope. Your eyes and other people will deceive you for the next 70 years and you’ll think I’ve abandoned you as my people, but I haven’t. Yes, most, if not all, of you will only know this situation for the rest of your lives, but for the good of the nation, keep living your life despite your circumstances. Build homes. Get married. Have children. Don’t wait for things to get better because for pretty much all of you they won’t. But for the sake of the nation, press on and do your part.” How’s that for a loose translation?

I have had difficult things in my life, but at the end of the day I don’t know what suffering is. I have experienced despair, but I’ll be the first to tell you that on a scale of 1-10, I’ve never exceeded a 5. So it’s difficult for me to sit here and say that people need to get realistic about this passage and stop treating it as something that is a promise by you that you’re ready to rescue them from their current predicament. If they want to say, “Sometime in the next 70 years I’ll be rescued,” then I’ll go with that because the only real rescue is in the new Heaven and the new Earth.

Father, this has been more of a rant this morning than a prayer for improving myself. I guess my prayer for myself is that you would find me faithful. Help me to look beyond my circumstances and to not judge a situation as being or not being of you based on what my eyes see. Help me to find my peace through my relationship with you, and help me to share THAT peace with others.

In Jesus’ name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on February 24, 2018 in Jeremiah

 

Proverbs 14:22

23 Feb

If you plan to do evil, you will be lost; if you plan to do good, you will receive unfailing love and faithfulness.

Proverbs 14:22

Dear God, usually we think of this verse as being about our outward focused plans. Do I do good or evil in my community? Family? Work? But I think it is more aptly applied to our internal lives. Do I practice good and wise self care?

As I’m traveling right now, I am faced with a myriad of decisions all of the time. How will I eat? What will I watch on TV when I’m by myself? What will I read on my phone? Will I pray to you and spend time in Scripture while I’m here?

I talked about this idea of self care a couple of days ago. I’ve had trips in my life when I didn’t “plan to do good.” I’ve had times when I’m at home when I planned to do evil. My dad refers to it in battling addiction as healing his imagination. He would imagine himself enjoying his addiction to alcohol 40 years ago, and then he would follow through on that “plan.” But when he broke free and developed a new plan under your healing power, grace, and hope, he planned to do good and the path he has walked has been much more constructive and brought him life he didn’t know before.

Father, help me to embrace good self care. Give me your strength to me mindful of everything I consume and that I plan to do. Help me to be purposeful about not only my inward life, but about the choices I make as to how to enter and interact with the world around me.

In Jesus’ name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on February 23, 2018 in Proverbs

 

Purifying Hope

22 Feb

“Perseverance is our supreme effort of refusing to believe that our hero is going to be conquered. Our greatest fear is not that we will be damned, but that somehow Jesus Christ will be defeated. Also, our fear is that the very things our Lord stood for— love, justice, forgiveness, and kindness among men— will not win out in the end and will represent an unattainable goal for us. . .If our hopes seem to be experiencing disappointment right now, it simply means that they are being purified.”

–Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest, February 22

Dear God, this was an interesting read this morning. I was uninspired by the “verse of the day” from Bible Gateway, so I went to my back-up source for daily inspiration—My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers. I normally just read the verse he has for today and go from there, but today I was moved by his own words. That’s what I’ve quoted above.

I don’t think I had thought before about the idea of being afraid of Jesus losing. The idea that, in the end, good loses to evil. Not on an earthly level. Good loses to evil all of the time in my daily life. No, I’m talking about the heavenly realm where one day there will be no more tears. Where God is in His Heaven and all is right with the world. Where there is a joyful peace that is indescribable. That’s what I’ve really put my hope in. And not only for me. I’ve put my hope in that for all of the victims of evil in this world. “Hold on, sex trafficking victim. I’ll do what I can now, but your day will come.” “Hold on, victim of genocide in Syria. Your day will come.”

There are really two things that are happening in Mr. Chambers’ words above. First, there is the part about Jesus and “good” losing, but then there is the second part about our hopes being purified. In this case, I think purified means “made realistic” or “made true.” Especially as Americans, we are often taught that we can hope for anything material—career, money, power, fame, etc. And while that is true, it is foolishness to hope for those things and combine it with the hope that we have for joy and peace. “If our hopes seems to be experiencing disappointment right now, it simply means that they are being purified.” That disappointment is the process of you separating our hope for the material from our hope for peaceful joy. Ultimately, our hope for peaceful joy will not be in the ego of watching who our children become or what we accomplish here on earth. Our hope for peaceful joy will be solely focused around how tied in we are to you and our expectation that, in the very end, Jesus wins, God is in His Heaven, and all is right with the world.

Father, thank you for purifying my heart. Thank you for guiding me through pain and being patient with me while I go through the agonizing death of my ego as it relates to my material accomplishments. My hope isn’t in my marriage, my kids, my job, my church, or my friends. My hope is simply in the fact that, in the end, you win. Help me to be faithful to that hope and whatever you want me to do as a part of your Kingdom.

In Jesus’ name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on February 22, 2018 in My Utmost for His Highest Scripture of the Day

 

Romans 13:8-10

21 Feb

Owe nothing to anyone—except for your obligation to love one another. If you love your neighbor, you will fulfill the requirements of God’s law. For the commandments say, “You must not commit adultery. You must not murder. You must not steal. You must not covet.” These—and other such commandments—are summed up in this one commandment: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no wrong to others, so love fulfills the requirements of God’s law.

Romans 13:8-10

Dear God, so I “owe” it to people to love them. I mean, I kind of knew that I owed it to you to love them, but I’d never considered the idea that I owe it to them.

Right now, I’m spending a few days meeting with a bunch of different people. It’s going to be easy for me to love some of them, but for some, it sure doesn’t feel like I owe them love. Some of them have hurt people I naturally love. Some of them will not respect my love for you. And some of them need your light and healing. In some cases, it will take dying to myself to love them.

Father, especially for the next three days, help me to love both naturally and unnaturally. Help me to be your ambassador of peace. Help me to fulfill your complete law by exhibiting the love I have the opportunity to show to everyone with whom I come into contact.

In Jesus’ name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on February 21, 2018 in Romans

 

Proverbs 17:9

20 Feb

Love prospers when a fault is forgiven, but dwelling on it separates close friends.

Proverbs 17:9

Dear God, this wisdom is obvious, but so true. And we forget it so easily. I see it in my family, at work, on Facebook, in politics…

Thankfully, I don’t see it in you. When you forgive me you separate my sins from me as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12). And that’s Old Testament—before Jesus death and resurrection. You figured out a way to make that Old Testament sacrifice permanent through Jesus and now the love we have for each other “prospers” because forgiveness is a key ingredient.

Father, be glorified in my life. Model forgiveness through me. Reveal to me the people whom I have not forgiven. Teach me to love like you love. And help me to be your ambassador of this area and model it to others.

In Jesus’ name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on February 20, 2018 in Proverbs

 

1 John 4:11-12

19 Feb

Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other. No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us.

1 John 4:11-12

Dear God, I really used to enjoy Facebook. Now, it seems to have become an outlet through which anger and frustration is channeled into a vortex that recycles and intensifies it. I’d say that, if anything, it has revealed to me just how many people out there say they love you, but just can’t help themselves and spew their anger. The scary thing is that I don’t think they can see it in themselves. If I were to talk to one of them about it right now they would probably agree that Facebook/Twitter/etc. has gotten out of hand and they hate it.

So that makes me wonder what kind of darkness is coming out of me that I cannot see. How are my actions keeping me from representing your love to others? Am I doing all that I can for all that your are? Am I dying to my own rights and embracing your cross?

Father, the message of this passage is pretty clear, but I can certainly be blind to my own sin. Please give me eyes to see and ears to hear. Give me the words you needs me to have so that I might show love to others. Be glorified in my own eyes and in others’ eyes through me.

In Jesus’ name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on February 19, 2018 in 1 John

 

Romans 8:38-39

18 Feb

And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8:38-39

Dear God, “neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow…” That’s an interesting thing to include in things that will not separate us from your love. On the one had, Jesus taught us to consider the lilies of the field and not worry, but here Paul is telling us that there’s grace for our humanness and brokenness. As we slowly work out our faith and learn not to worry, there is still room in your heart for us to do that.

Whenever I think about people with reason to worry I think about a father in Syria or The Sudan who cannot protect his wife, his children, or even himself from despots. I think about the sex trafficking victim who will likely never be rescued while she’s alive. I think about myself and my legitimate concern for my children as they live in the world. These fears aren’t sin. They are real, and they are the things that bring me to my knees. In my case, there is the opportunity for me to bring these and other concerns I have to you and learn to live in your peace through them. But for some others that I mentioned here, that opportunity for peace doesn’t exist—at least a peace that I’m capable of understanding. But that doesn’t mean you aren’t there to love each one.

Father, I really do feel your love and grace. Thank you. Thank you for your forgiveness and your provision. Thank you that your love for me is beyond anything that I can do to separate me from you.

In Jesus’ name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on February 18, 2018 in Romans

 

Romans 8:35-37

17 Feb

Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.” ) No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.

Romans 8:35-37

Dear God, I confess to you that I cannot stand prosperity Gospel preachers. I truly think of them as an enemy of your message. I can’t really think of any New Testament characters of whom A certain pastor would say they are living their best life now. There’s a lot of poverty, suffering, and death among the faithful.

I’ve always struggled with really understanding your message through the book of Job, but I read a Biblical commentary on the book that really helped me. Actually, I got part way through the commentary, but there was this one part that really spoke to me. It talked about six different levels of faith that I’ll list here.

1 Intuitive – projective faith: is associated with the child’s faith, based upon fantasy and imagination

2 Mythical-literal faith: is the family faith of the early school years, which is sustained by moral rules and either/or thinking

3 Synthetic – conventional faith: as an adolescent phase that conforms to the tradition of the community and creates the “kind” of person of faith it models or rejects

4 Individuative – reflective faith: is the faith of the young adult who is capable of critical thinking, independent reflection, and dialectical reasoning

5 Conjunctive faith: is a mid-life and old-age faith that integrates self-identity with a comprehensive world of you to see the order, coherence, and meaning of life in order to serve and be served

6 Universalizing faith: is the rare faith of the world citizen who incarnates a transcendent vision into a disciplined, active, and self-giving life. (Page 22)

The author made the argument that Job and his friends start out the book in the third level of faith. In their custom, good fortune expressed your favor and bad fortune your displeasure. But through Job’s suffering he learned that there is actually very little connection between a seemingly #blessed life and your favor. This is something that the early Christian Church surely figured out as they suffered for their pursuit of you.

My wife just interviewed an author who is writing a series of books that includes a Christian character. He is three books into a series that he expects to ultimately be 14 books. He told her that at some point the character will have multiple children and the youngest one will be the most like him and yet they will experience a period of deep estrangement. The character’s faith will not, and really should not, protect him from this kind of pain.

Father, I know people who have really suffered—much more than me. My prayer is that you will help me to be a minister to them and to embrace the path you have for me regardless of what it might be. And for my relatives who are suffering, please do not let this pain go in vain. Make it count, and make it count for your glory.

In Jesus’ name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on February 17, 2018 in Romans

 

Ephesians 5:10-14

16 Feb

Carefully determine what pleases the Lord. Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them. It is shameful even to talk about the things that ungodly people do in secret. But their evil intentions will be exposed when the light shines on them, for the light makes everything visible. This is why it is said, “Awake, O sleeper, rise up from the dead, and Christ will give you light.”

Ephesians 5:10-14

Dear God, I was at a meeting with several pastors yesterday. One of them got to talking about how, about every four or five years, his denomination will have someone come in and talk to their annual conference about sexual issues in the workforce. He said the first year they did it they had a lawyer come in and it was awful. His instructions were, “Don’t look at porn on your church computer. Don’t flirt with the church secretary…” They never had him back. He said that, since then, they have used a therapist to do it, and he gave a description of this year’s message. It can be summed up with this: “I’ve never known anyone who was really following through on self-care who ended up in an affair.” Self care was defined as actively paying attention to all parts of your life—mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual.

Of course, that’s not always true. There are addictions that sometimes just grab us, but again, if there is self care to be done in my life then the addictions need to be addressed as part of that self care.

I know a woman who is afraid of a friend in her life whom she fears is dangerous. She is gathering this information from the things he writes and shares. She has also referenced the types of shows he watches. Some of his stuff was recently brought to light and some authorities have challenged him on them. I don’t think he faces immediate legal problems, but I am hopeful that now that some of his private thoughts are out in the open it might be an opening for healing for him.

Father, help me to be willing to shine your light on the dark areas of my life so that I might be in complete communion with you. And I’ll add this man to my prayers. Please use this situation to help him heal and use it in this woman’s life to address any lingering secrets she has. She is the victim here, but I am hopeful that you will make this pain count for her and help her to be more whole from wounds of the past, decisions in the present, and plans for the future.

In Jesus’ name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on February 16, 2018 in Ephesians

 
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