Category: faith

Facing the Beasts

Isaiah 25-26

Psalm 114

Revelation 13

-Devotion by Daniel Smead (MN)

Revelation 13 discusses the activities of beasts. The two break points in the chapter are when John declared “I saw a beast” and “I saw another beast” (v. 1, 11). To clarify, the Greek word behind “beast” conveys “dangerous,” describing wild animals in terms of posing a risk.

During a good chunk of Revelation John reports on short scenes, often with some shared elements, that don’t flow chronologically. Frequently these descriptions and explanations of them are split between scenes, as when the two witnesses are killed by the “beast” that came from “the abyss” (11:8). Only several chapters later do we get an angel talking about the “beast” from the “abyss” (17:8).

We can’t piece together the scenes John gives us to create one smooth story. But we can link several scenes which appear to overlap, through time references: “1,260 days” (11:3; 12:6), “a time, times and half a time” (Daniel 7:25; Revelation 12:14), or “42 months” (11:2; 13:5). These passages describe that period from several angles; among what we are told is:

it is a time when the nations trample Jerusalem,

while God’s two witnesses prophesy in the city wearing sackcloth,

meanwhile “the woman” has escaped the dragon and is being nourished in the wilderness,

and after her escape from the dragon, he sought a war with her children, conducted through the beast from the sea,

that beast uses the dragon’s authority to overcome the saints [here is the link with Daniel 7:25], and to be worshipped by all whose names are not in the book of life (that authority may also link with the fact that nations trampled Jerusalem – see above).

To some extent the complexity of the book, which helps maintain questions about its meaning, also points to God’s unconcern with whether most people over the centuries clearly understand everything that the book means. For most readers it may have been more important that the book bring encouragement.

Consider today’s text, for example. We read of the beast that comes “out of the sea,” which is often an image of the nations. It seems that this beast is a coalition of several kings/countries led by a blasphemous leader who should have died but survived. He parodies Christ in that way – his appearance of having been “fatally wounded” even uses the Greek phrase applied to the lamb that looked like it was slaughtered (5:6; 13:3). And rather than be repulsed by this foul-mouthed braggart, the world is awestruck by the beast. Perhaps their question “who is able to wage war with him?” is expressed a bit despairingly, picturing him as too powerful to oppose (v. 4). But some things are not opposed because you can overthrow them, but because you cannot give in to them. In any case, not too many chapters from now, his defeat will be total.

We also read of the beast “out of the earth” (perhaps this ought to be translated “out of the land,” that is, Israel, in keeping with an older theory that this other beast, also known in Revelation as the “false prophet,” is descended from Jacob). He has the dragon’s voice, revealing his true loyalties and affiliation, but in appearance tries to mimic the image of Jesus as the lamb. This beast got authority shared with it by the beast from the sea, who in turn had that authority from the dragon / “serpent,” “devil” – who we are told was able to deceive “the whole world” (12:9). (Maybe it makes sense for all this delegating of authority to occur. If evil doesn’t delegate, how do you get some sloth in the mix, to cover all seven of the ‘deadly’ sins? Meanwhile, good is more open to sharing the load and getting the job done – though it is a completely different job. But I digress.)

Much of the description given about the beast from the earth involves the relationship of the second beast with the first, as he builds up the influence and worship of the first beast (13:11-17). The second beast can do signs, and with them “deceives those who live on the earth.” That isn’t saying that the signs are faked, but that the people who accept what he calls them to are deceived because they are being directed toward death, in the lake of fire (13:14). So, perhaps he got his ability to deceive “the whole world” from his master. He won’t use it very long. And looking at the list of events happening during those 42 months, it doesn’t sound like he convinces the “whole world,” either. God always has a remnant. Always.

Prayer

Lord, sometimes it can be daunting to contemplate the extent of what you are willing to call your people to do, and to be. But then the recognition comes through that none of the people you call is ever alone. They all have you. They all have your son. And you set them together in the body of your son, through the Spirit, to accept your strength and to support each other. You do not wish to put us in situations beyond what we can handle, so one of the first things we need to do is reject despair as among the chief lies of the chief of lies. You are prepared to provide the strength necessary for any task you desire us to do. Please help us to properly prepare ourselves for serving you in whatever way comes next, with prayer, with confession, with fasting, with worship, with study and with generosity. Provide us the wisdom, the insight, to take whichever of those steps, or more besides, that we need to take. Because you are worthy of praise. And you are worthy of our best service, unencumbered by anything that would hold us back.

Thank you, Lord

Amen

Reflection Questions

  1. Jesus once spent forty days in the wilderness with the beasts, fasting, and exposing himself to temptation by the devil (Mark 1:13). Do you think he was afraid there? Do you think he was more sure of himself when he was finished there?
  2. When you seem to be in danger of giving in to fear, what keeps you from falling into it (or allows you to get out again)? What can be done collectively, in worship or otherwise, to guard against fear?
  3. Have you ever gone out of your way to help someone else address their own fear or doubts? Did it bring you joy to do so? Was it difficult for you not to get caught up in their fears?

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Doomsday Preppers

Isaiah 23-24

Psalm 113

Revelation 12

-Devotion by Jeremy Martin (TN)

            There are a lot of cross reference prophecies in today’s readings between Isaiah and Revelations, and it’s generally of the type of thing that most of us would very optimistically describe as “concerning”.  The devotions leading up to this one from a few days earlier remind us of a few things that I’d urge everyone to keep in mind as we read today’s scripture: Firstly, God loves His creation, even when “bad things happen” it’s usually an opportunity for correction and restoration.  Secondly, God loves us so much that He’s told us in advance what’s going to happen, so we don’t get too scared or discouraged.  It’s just that sometimes demolition has to take place before reconstruction.  Keep that thought foremost today.

            “1Behold, Yahweh empties the earth to destruction, eviscerates it, distorts its surface, and scatters its inhabitants.2And the people will be like the priest, the male slave like his master, the female slave like her mistress, the buyer like the seller, the lender like the borrower, the creditor like the debtor.3The earth will be completely emptied to destruction and completely plundered, for Yahweh has spoken this word.4The earth mourns and withers; the world languishes and withers; the exalted of the people of the earth languish. 5The earth is also polluted by its inhabitants, for they trespassed laws, violated statutes, broke the everlasting covenant. 6Therefore, a curse devours the earth, and those who inhabit it are held guilty. Therefore, the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men remain. ” Isaiah 24:1-6, LSB.  Well, that doesn’t seem to leave a lot of room for interpretation, does it?  In my Bible I’ve got a note written: “See 2 Peter 3:7” right next to verse 6 above.

            The rest of Isaiah 24 goes on to prophesy a few more things, particularly comparisons to making man scarce upon the earth, in verses 7-13, and in verse 13 in particular it compares the remainder of man to “the shaking of an olive tree” (olive trees were harvested by shaking them vigorously and picking up the ones that fell, but usually a few would be left) and “the gleanings when the grape harvest is over”.  This is going to be, in other words, a pretty climactic event for humanity.  If you haven’t read any of the earlier devotions leading up to this one, at the very least I’d urge you strongly to go back to the September 10th devotion and slowly read “Point 2” there, about 2/3 of the way down.  Seriously, it helps a lot with perspective.

            Why will all of this happen though?  Well, there’s no mystery here, moving on down to Isa 24:20, it tells us the earth is being punished because “…its transgression is heavy upon it...” LSB. There is an interesting verse down below this as well, “21So it will be in that day, That Yahweh will punish the host of heights on high, And the kings of the earth on earth.” LSB.  I’ve got a note written beside that verse in my Bible that says “Angels? The Rich?“, and I’m honestly not sure, but if we flip over to our Revelation reading today it does mention a war in heaven, and that the dragon and his angels were not strong enough, and cast down (Rev 12:7-9).  I have my own opinions on the interpretation of this, but I will tremble and not blaspheme against glorious ones with my own fallible and human speculations (2 Peter 2: 4-11).  I’m just a human.

            Another VERY interesting thing to note here and ponder upon in your heart is the number “1260”.  This pops up in our reading today in Rev 12:6.  Quick eyes will skim right past it, but a discerning eye will recall that it also appeared in yesterday’s reading, in Rev 11:3.  In fact, the number 1,260 appears in the Bible nine times across the books of Daniel and Revelation.  Specifically, it is mentioned twice in the Old Testament (Daniel 7:25 and 12:7) and seven times in the New Testament (Revelation 11:2, 11:3, 12:6, 12:14, 13:5, and two additional references in Revelation 11:9 and 13:5 depending on textual grouping.  This period is consistently equated to 42 months or three and a half years (using a 30-day prophetic month, also written as “a time, times, and half a time”).

            So is 1260 important, as a prophetic number?  I’m going to offer a resounding “Yes” to that, based on the frequency with which it comes up in books of known and proven prophecy.  Do I know what it means?  Like Mary, I will ponder these things in my heart, but I will tremble and be silent.  Again, these are matters that are above my station, since I’m just a human.  Please note though: since it’s something that God has revealed to us in scripture, I do think it’s important, and very healthy and wise to research these things and come to our own conclusions.

            I’m a simple guy, and I work with the littles in school, so I’m really good at kindergarten math and confident in my assertion that 1+1+1=3 (and not =1), no matter which way you slice it but beyond that I have a very healthy understanding about my lack of understanding in complex mathematical equations.  Even if God had revealed what the frequency of 1260 occuring repeatedly in prophecy meant to me (He hasn’t), I probably wouldn’t share it unless I was told to at the time.  There is just too much margin for human error when calculating these things, too much uncertainty.

            What I am certain of is that God never lies.  These things have been told to us in advance for a reason, so that we can attempt to refine and purify ourselves, and live in a manner that is pleasing to our God.  God loves us so much that He wants us to be aware that these things are coming, so that we can prepare for them.

            My wife and I love to watch the show about people who go to great lengths (sometimes a little overboard) to prepare for apocolyptic times, aptly named “Doomsday Preppers” (an American reality tv series).  If you’ve never seen it, you should give it a watch sometime.  In it, folks typically go to extreme lengths to “get ready”, using various and occasionally insane techniques and methodology to “prep” for an apocolyptic event of one type or another.  Instead of a series of reflection questions, today lets provide a helpful list of how to actually prepare yourself for some of these things.  Reflect on these, and it may save your life:

PREPPERS LIST

  1. Love God.  Acknowledge Him as your creator and give Him full authority in your life.  It’s the most important commandment: LOVE GOD.  It’s hard to be mad at someone who’s loving up on you.
  2. Love Your Neighbor, as much as you do yourself.  When you honor God’s creation, you honor God.  It’s the second most important commandment, and a way to show God we’re listening to what He says.
  3. Seek First the kingdom of God, and His righteousness.  What you go after shows what your focus is, if that’s anything besides being a citizen of the kingdom of God, I humbly suggest you redirect.
  4. Purify yourself.  God will not hear the prayers of the unrighteous, commit yourself to being obedient to Him and living a life that is holy, humble, and free from sin.
  5. Do Good Deeds.  Help the widows, help the orphans, feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit the sick and those imprisoned, offer a ride, bless others in the same manner that God has blessed you.  Do you want God to save you, to grant you mercy, to protect you from a bad situation even though you may not deserve it?  You can start by doing the same for others, what you do for the least of these, you do for our king.  Listen!  This is important.  Not because it will make you righteous (it won’t), but because it will show your obedience.

PRAYER

Father God, our guardian and our creator, we bless Your holy name.  Please forgive us when we stumble, teach us to be servants who please you, and lead us into Your kingdom.  Your will be done, Father.  Thank you, in Jesus name, Amen.

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Bare Necessities

Isaiah 19-20

Psalm 112

Revelation 10

-Devotion by Jeremy Martin (TN)

            Before we dig into the juicy bits of the devotional today (which is a fun one), there’s a verse that we should take note of.  In Isaiah 19:22 it states: “And Yahweh will smite Egypt, smiting but healing; so they will return to Yahweh, and He will be moved by their entreaty and will heal them. “ (LSB).  It’s important to note that our God, the creator of the universe, always, always acts in a manner that is for long term benefit.  Yes, there are recorded instances of  punitive action towards individuals or groups, but it seems like almost every time the reason is to bring about a correction in course, a change in direction, a return to the God who made us.

            Consider the exile.  This was a horrific time for the Israelites, who had been struggling with idolatry.  We see the Israelites going back and forth between the Most High God and worshipping the false gods of the local region over and over until God finally has enough and strikes them.  The people are scattered, the temple is destroyed, and the entire nation is taken away in captivity.  The alotted time passes (70 yrs, see Jeremiah 25:11-12, 29:10, and also Daniel 9:2), and then Israel is returned.  When they return, they never again as a nation have a problem with idolatry as before, even today.  The people have been returned, the temple is rebuilt, never again did idolatry rear it’s head in the nation: problem solved.

            We know through scripture that God disciplines those he loves (Hebrews 12:6), and that he loved the whole world so much that he gave his only son (John 3:16).  We also know that God is love (1 John 4:8), and we can extrapolate from the entirety of scripture that ever since the beginning of creation, when we rebelled against our Father and our creator, God has stood with hands outstretched toward his creation seeking to restore that relationship.  As Christians, we believe that it is through the Christ that God reconciled us to Him, and Him to us.  That concept is also found in Romans 5:12-17.  Like any good parent, our Father disciplines us in order to correct our behavior, in order that we might be healthier and whole children. 

            My point in bringing this up is that this verse (Isaiah 19:22) really highlights and reminds us why sometimes what we in the heat of the moment perceive as “bad things” may be happening, there’s a very good chance that the circumstance is being used for instruction and growth.  I’m not saying every “bad” thing that ever happens happened because God wanted it to, but what I am saying is that “all things work together for the good of those who love the Lord”.  James 1:1-3 really leans into this, saying we should even consider these trials as joy.  In these instances, it’s very helpful to remember 2 important things; that (1) we are not the center of the universe around which all creation revolves but (2) our Father is.

            I think it’s also an interesting side note that in Isaiah 19: 23-25, it seems as if Egypt, Israel, and Assyria appear to be united: one large kingdom.  Since nothing like this has occured yet since the time of Isaiah, this seems to be a prophetic vision.  Had you read that little bit before, and if so, what were your immediate thoughts on it?  Do you agree or disagree with my initial opinion, or what other interpretations did you have?  Just some thought provoking things to consider. 

            So, did you ever want to be a prophet?  It was normally a pretty tough gig.  God often commanded His prophets to do a “visual sign” for the people, sometimes so extreme that the sanity of the prophet was questioned.  Ezekiel was told to lay on his side for 430 days, to bear the iniquity of the nation: after 390 days bearing the iniquity for Israel, he got to roll over (Whew!) and lay on that side for another 40 days (Ez 4:4-6).  Hosea was told to marry a prostitute, and have children with her (Hos 1:2), and to name those children names which probably caused a lot of conflicts at school.  Jeremiah hid his undergarments and retrieved them in a ruined state to show the corruption of Judah (ew).  Keep in mind also, these were just the “on the job” requirements.

            In addition to all of that, while some of the prophets died naturally (or were taken, unnaturally), the majority of recorded deaths of the prophets in biblical tradition involve violence or martyrdom.  The prophets were beheaded, stoned, killed by the sword, and our prophet in today’s reading Isaiah was “sawed in 2 under king Manasseh” (Hebrews 11:37 references this). 

            In our reading today of Isaiah 20, there’s a brief little bit that sums up what I can only assume to be a very uncomfortable 3 years for Isaiah under the hot desert sun, “2 at that time Yahweh spoke by the hand of Isaiah the son of Amoz, saying, “Go and loosen the sackcloth from your hips and take your shoes off your feet.” And he did so, going naked and barefoot. 3 And Yahweh said, “Even as My servant Isaiah has gone naked and barefoot three years as a sign and wonder…” (LSB).  It’s so short you’ll miss it if you blink, but Isaiah went naked and barefoot over 3 years.

            Let’s think about that for a minute.  Can you imagine, as a parent of a young child, having to quickly cover their eyes at the temple at a nice Sabbath morning worship, when Isaiah came in ? Don’t look, Jacob! What about in the market, when the naked prophet came up to buy a loaf of bread?  Where did he pull the money from? Just imagine the awkward discomfort of trying to maintain eye contact if the prophet ever approached you and wanted to have a theological discussion regarding the state of the nation. My eyes are up here!  He wasn’t allowed to go cower in his tent, he was told to do this as a sign, which means he had to interact regularly with his community, but in his birthday suit.  I don’t care how you slice it, or how respected of a prophet you were, that had to make it weird.

            Now, let’s compare and contrast that level of unswerving dedication and obedience to the modern believer.  “Oh, it was really hard to get up and go to church today…”.  Was it, really?  Did you get to wear your clothes? “I know I’m supposed to forgive them but I’m really mad…” Oh, are you, are you really?  Are your clothes on, though? “I just don’t know if I can love (insert name here), they make it so hard…” Oh yea? Is that with or without pants on?  “Oh I know I’m supposed to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, but I’ve really got to prioritize finances right now…”  Ok, so, do we get to wear our clothes when we go to the bank?  That’s all kind of tongue-in-cheek and funny, but think about it seriously for a moment.

            We have become so distracted and disobedient in this evil age that even the bare (no pun intended) necessities, the basic minimum efforts are commonly dramatized and made to appear as hugely heroic actions in our spiritual walk.  We really need to understand and appreciate how much easier we have it currently, and be grateful and even more obedient in the small things that we are given to do.  Just be grateful, and obedient. 

REFLECTION QUESTIONS
  1. What specific areas in your life could be improved, in terms of obedience to Christ?
  2. How can we be more intentionally grateful in our lives?
  3. Is there anything more that we can do, to ensure that we are being servants who please their master?
PRAYER   

Father God, you have given us so much, and ask for so little in return.  Thank you, for the abundant blessings which you have showered us with.  Help us to be both more grateful for these gifts, and more obedient to You.  In Jesus name, Amen.

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Struggling to Change

The LORD says to my Lord: "Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet." Psalm 110:1
Isaiah 10-12
Psalm 110
Revelation 6

-Devotion by Daniel Smead (MN)

I found it difficult to produce a devotion for Psalm 110. I realized that it is hard, anymore, for me to look at this text without considering its uses in the New Testament, and in theology (accurate and inaccurate), and start working out its links with other Old Testament passages, and so on, and on. That may be nothing like your experience. (O.k., I hope for you that it isn’t like your experience.) But it is mine, at least it is at this point in my life. I find that having studied theology a fair bit is helpful in some situations, and not as much in some others, like when I find it difficult to see a text as a “whole” piece of thought.

I could produce several paragraphs on the psalm’s heavy use in the New Testament (most quoted verse, here is how it was used by Jesus, Peter, Hebrews, etc.). I used up over an hour (o.k., maybe two) tracking down Hebrew word usage because I wasn’t sure if it would lead me anywhere helpful. (I found some interesting things about the “day of wrath” I may use for something sometime, but not today.)

I did try reading a commentary that covered the text. It was Derek Kidner’s, Psalms 73-150, published in the Tyndale Commentaries series in 1975. I went on out to the garage and pulled it from “Box 45” of my books. (Yeah, I’m not kidding. I’m fortunate to now have a list showing which box has which books; a year ago I didn’t.) It’s not bad. Kidner makes an interesting suggestion about verse 7, that it pictures the psalm’s king-priest in similar terms to Gideon (Judges 8:4), after a victory, but having continued in a pursuit of his enemies and just pausing at the stream. I like the image, but I’m not sure it is accurate. And did it inspire me with devotional ideas? No.

Eventually I recognized that in all my notes I didn’t have a devotional. Not even an outline for one. May as well dump it all.

Blank.

PRAYER

Lord, please help me to see this text anew. Please free me from the blinders on my eyes, or mind, or wherever they are, that sometimes prevent me from viewing your scripture with emotion, be it joy or conviction, resolution or guilt, pride or shame. Soften my heart, Lord, if that is what is needed, and let me see within your scripture more than words.

Let me try again.

The people of Israel knew things about the Torah, and the kings in David’s line, that you or I will never even attempt to know. And all too often they were locked-in to perspectives on what their knowledge meant about God’s intentions, and which options were available. Dozens of places in the Hebrew Scriptures align with general expectations: kings and priests were separate. They died and needed to be replaced. And quite often kings and priests didn’t serve God well, but because of God’s mercy the system kept going.

In a few places, like Psalm 110 for instance, God let people know that the general expectations were not enough. Things were not going to stay as they had been. I don’t know how many people put these facts together before Jesus came on the scene, and how many of those then acted on what they understood.

Is anything ever guaranteed to stay as it has been? Not the business you work at, or the school you attend. Not the country you live in. Not me. Not you. God is permanent; some things God has decided on we know won’t change, either. Jesus interceding for us with God is a “forever” thing. Please, figure out the things God intends to last, and put more care into them than some of the other stuff. You may end up more prepared for when things change.

I wish you well.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

  1. Have you been unable to connect with a passage of scripture (due to over-intellectualizing; comprehension – language, background, etc.; inattention)? Were you able to overcome the issue?
  2. Do you see yourself as mainly expecting what you experience to remain as it is, or are you expecting changes? How does that expectation relate to efforts you are making to preserve and/or change things around you?
  3. If you could lock-in one thing about yourself to remain the same throughout your life – an attitude, perhaps a personality trait or a passion – would you? And, if so, what would you choose?
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Working on a Good Name

Ecclesiastes 7-8

Psalm 105

1 John 3

-Devotion by Paula Kirkpatrick (MN)

My Grandpa Burnett was a quiet, unassuming man.  When I was young, he was a hard-working farmer, milking cows and raising chickens and other livestock.   Even after he and my grandma moved off the farm to a house at the edge of town, he was always busy with chores and responsibilities.  I rarely saw him sit down and rest. 

Grandpa Burnett was always willing to lend a helping hand to a neighbor.  Sometimes, the neighbor might not even be aware of it.  I remember my mom saying this about her dad. 

“If your grandpa found a hole in his neighbor’s fence, he wouldn’t tell the neighbor.  Grandpa would just fix it himself.”

That story from my mom has stuck with me through the years and embodies who my grandpa was—a good man, a Christian man, a man with a good name, a good reputation. 

Ecclesiastes 7:1a says, “A good name is better than precious ointment.” (ESV) In Bible times, ointment was a perfumed oil used for anointing, healing, and beauty.  Ointments were made with olive oil and fragrant spices that were usually uncommon and expensive. 

Young King David was anointed with oil by the prophet Samuel; Jesus’ dear friend Mary poured expensive perfume on Jesus’ feet and wiped them with her hair.  These examples reflect the reverence and high regard of the individuals giving and receiving the oil or perfume, and they help us to better understand the intrinsic value of a good name. 

The rich sweet smell of the costly ointment will eventually fade away.  A good name, a solid reputation, will endure the test of time. 

The author of Ecclesiastes finished the verse with a stark contrasting statement.  “And the day of one’s death is better than the day of one’s birth.”  What is he saying?

At the end of our lives, we can look back and see our journey with our Creator.  We can reflect on the winding paths, the mountains and valleys of life we encountered, exalted in, endured.  We can testify to God’s goodness and love, affirm his steadfast faithfulness every step of the way.

Let us endeavor each day to serve God fully, seeking His glory and not our own.  Let us strive to have “Good names” by the grace of God. 

“He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” 

Micah 6:8 (ESV)

Reflection Questions

  1.  Who do you know who has a “good name?” How did they get it?
  2. The writer of Ecclesiastes compared a good name to a precious ointment.  What item comes to mind, if you would make a similar comparison? 

Prayer

Dear God – I praise You. You have the perfect name forever and ever. Help me stay focused on You and what You want me to be and do. Give me the desire and energy to faithfully serve and give of myself with a good attitude. I want my light to bring others to You and Your Son and eternal life.

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Timing is Everything

Ecclesiastes 3-4 

Psalm 104

1 John 1

-Devotion by Paula Kirkpatrick (MN)

“Timing is everything.”  How often have you heard someone say that?  It may be a familiar phrase, but those three words hold true in many areas of life.

Baking cookies?  Take them out of the oven too soon, they fall apart.  Take them out of the oven too late, they turn black and inedible. 

In the sports world, there are plenty of examples of timing.  The baseball player stealing a base, the wide receiver catching the quarterback’s pass, the long jumper planting his takeoff foot at the exact right moment. 

Every comedian definitely realizes his joke’s punchline depends on the perfect pause to deliver its greatest impact, and hopefully a room full of laughter as well. 

God has always known that “timing is everything.”  The six days that God created the earth highlight this fact.  During the first three days of Creation, God CHANGED a dark, wet environment into a world ready for living creatures.  Each day of creation built upon the previous one, so that living vegetation, then animals, and ultimately Adam and Eve, would be able to thrive. 

Ecclesiastes 3:1 says, “There is an appointed time for everything.“ Verses 2-8 then give us detailed examples.

“A time to give birth and a time to die;
 A time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted.

A time to kill and a time to heal;
 A time to tear down and a time to build up.
A time to weep and a time to laugh;
 A time to mourn and a time to dance.
A time to throw stones and a time to gather stones;
 A time to embrace and a time to shun embracing.
A time to search and a time to give up as lost;
 A time to keep and a time to throw away.
 A time to tear apart and a time to sew together;
 A time to be silent and a time to speak.
 A time to love and a time to hate;
 A time for war and a time for peace.”

There is good, there is bad; there is productive, there is destructive; there is action, there is reaction.  There is life, in all its ups and downs, each day, each event unfolding as God appointed it.  In His time. 

“He has made everything appropriate in its time.”  (Ecclesiastes 3:11a)

These are the events God has given us to occupy our lives.  We live out these events with God’s love upon us.  His love is unwavering and constant, throughout each joy and trial.

What is OUR response to our Creator, our loving Father? 

“I know that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice and to do good in one’s lifetime; moreover, that every man who eats and drinks sees good in all his labor—it is the gift of God.” (Ecclesiastes 3:12,13)

Begin each new day rejoicing and striving to DO good, to SEE good in all that you do.  Our labor, our life, is a gift of God.

“I have seen that nothing is better than that man should be happy in his activities.” (Ecclesiastes 3:22a)

Timing is everything.  There is no better time to praise the Lord than today.

“Bless the Lord, O my soul.  Praise the Lord!  (Psalm 104:35b)

Reflection Questions

  1. Think of an event in your life when “timing was everything.”  How did it turn out? 
  2. Have you ever questioned God’s timing?  Who or what do you turn to when that happens? 

Prayer

Dear God – I praise You for being Creator, Sustainer and Sovereign. Thank You for Your perfect ways. Help me to trust You and Your timing and fully rely on You through all seasons. Whatever a day may hold, may I spend it rejoicing in You and Your faithfulness, doing good, and finding good in my labor and the gifts You have generously given.

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Adding More and More

Job 40-41

Psalm 102

2 Peter 1

-Devotion by J.J. Fletcher (MN)

(2 Peter 1:5-10 ESV) …make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall.

In contrast to the list of negative attributes to avoid in the second chapter of 1st Peter, we see in the first chapter of 2nd Peter a list of attributes that we should aspire to. Believe, absolutely, but belief must be supplemented with action. Virtue = moral excellence; let your character be representative of Christ. As one called to redemption in the name of Jesus, your motivations and behaviors should be indicative of Jesus’ righteousness (he is your righteousness, so honor it with your lifestyle). As we strive for moral excellence, we should seek to understand. 

Sir Francis Bacon coined the term “knowledge is power.” Knowledge gives us an advantage. Simply hearing that we should behave in a certain way is one thing, but studying the scriptures to understand WHY we should behave a certain way is more powerful and compelling. As someone who grew up in the 90’s, “The More You Know” PSA’s come to mind. To be discerning in addressing the many challenges of life, the knowledge and understanding of scripture is crucial.

Our knowledge gives us a basis to exercise self-control. Having an understanding of scripture gives us a metric by which to measure our behavior. If we know what we should do, then we can aspire to behave that way and recognize where we might fall short. Our salvation is not based on our works or actions, but our works/actions speak, or bear witness to our faith. If the way we behave is supposed to point others to Jesus, then we should be passionate about being self-controlled. If we can’t manage our emotions or behaviors, what message is that sending to others about our faith and character?

Add to your self-control steadfastness; this is understood as endurance or staying power. It is one thing to exercise self-control for an hour, a day, a week… Even someone who is convicted or passionate about something can get worn down or discouraged over time; so we continually need to renew our minds and evaluate ourselves.

Godliness can be understood as the way that we submit and respond to God and the way that we look at and respond to his creation, namely that which is created in his image (spoiler alert, that means people). Brotherly love (or affection) and agape: general love, care, concern, and treatment of people in general, are the logical and spiritual outpouring of our submission to God’s will in the way that we relate to and treat others.

Lacking these characteristics is tantamount to blindness, but practicing them is indicative of absolute victory. We don’t have to be perfect in our execution, but we need to strive for all of them in our behavioral orientation.

J.J. Fletcher is a 2009 graduate of Atlanta Bible College and has been pastoring Pine Grove Bible Church  (Brooklyn Park, MN) since 2017. He has been married to Hope (Kirkpatrick) for 18 years and has 4 children.

Reflection Questions

  1. Why is just having faith not enough?
  2. Virtue, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly affection, and love. Why is having just a bit of any of these not enough? What would it look like to add more and more of each of these qualities?
  3. Is one (or two) of these harder for you than the others? How could you especially focus on that/those? Is there something to get rid of in order to make it easier to build more of this/these qualities?
  4. When have you been blind – missing these? How does your blindness affect your relationship with God? How does it affect your relationship with others?

Prayer

Dear God – I praise You for being the One True God – perfect in all your qualities. Forgive me for the times my faith is incomplete and blind. Help me see where I need to add on more and more that I will be effective and fruitful. And help me do what is pleasing to You, living like Jesus. In his name I pray, Amen.

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Title Deed to Our Hope

Job 12-13

Psalm 96

Hebrews 11

-Devotion by Tom Siderius(MI)

Hebrews 11:1-3(NLT) Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see. 2 Through their faith, the people in days of old earned a good reputation.
3 By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen.

Hebrews 11:1(AMP) Now faith is the assurance (title deed, confirmation) of things hoped for (divinely guaranteed), and the evidence of things not seen [the conviction of their reality—faith comprehends as fact what cannot be experienced by the physical senses].

Faith is our complete believing trust in the Word of God and it’s truth. It  comes from mixing the personal believing of our hearts with the trustworthy and perfect words which God has given for us to know and understand.  When we completely trust the Word in our hearts then we will act in accordance with that trust.  This is why the Amplified Bible shows the phrase “title deed” to things prayed for and hoped for.

If I have the title deed for my farm in my hands do I have the farm in my hands?  No it is impossible to have the farm that way.  But the reality is that when we have the deed with Tom and Sandy written on it, with no lien or obligations connected with it, we have the farm.

This is the way that we trust God in our hearts and then receive the promise for the things that God has made.  Ephesians 1 gives us another assurance of God’s plan.

Ephesians 1:4-5(NLT) Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. 5 God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.

God chose you before the foundation of the earth!  Wow!! And it says that it gave Him great pleasure to save you in Christ. Double Wow!!  Then we get a guarantee even better.

Ephesians 1:13-14(NLT) And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. 14 The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him.

Have you believed God in your heart about what God has testified about Christ?

Did you receive the gift of holy spirit when you believed and became God’s child?

What does that mean for your life?

We have received the title deed and seal of promise to the future hope of Christ’s rulership and kingdom to come.  You have the proof in your hands that what God has said will come to pass in the future.  The faithful of the past all believed this and received the same sure promises. Please read Hebrews 11 for the rest of the story.

Hebrews 11:13-16(NLT) All these people died still believing what God had promised them. They did not receive what was promised, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it. They agreed that they were foreigners and nomads here on earth. 14 Obviously people who say such things are looking forward to a country they can call their own. 15 If they had longed for the country they came from, they could have gone back. 16 But they were looking for a better place, a heavenly homeland. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

The title deed we have received is the deed to a future with God and a place to live in righteousness and peace with our Savior Jesus Christ and his and our Father God.  As you go from here be the child of God that you are with all the rights and privileges that come from the trust that God is faithful to that which He has promised and performed.

Reflection Questions

See Questions above – and also – Where do you keep your title deed of faith?

Are you excited by the future hope you have received?

Prayer

Father please be with us this day, and we thank you for the bread of our need as we walk with You.  Thank you for the kingdom to come, that what You have promised will come to pass.  Please give us living hearts of faith and trust in You in all we do.  God bless the prayer and works of our lives to honor You.  Love in Christ, your children

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What is man, that You magnify him?

*Job 6-7

Psalm 94

Hebrews 8

 -Devotion by Jeremy Martin (TN)

            I’ve  been married for 28 years now, and even in the depths of my dumbness (which as mentioned previously in other devotions, can run pretty deep), one of the things I learned early on in the relationship is that we hear and react to conversation differently.  For the longest time this caused conflict, because when a problem is presented to me (eg, “I feel like I’m being unproductive at work”), my problem-solving skills as a man immediately kick in and I started proposing a (very helpful, in my opinion) list of solutions that would help my wife overcome the “problem” of X (in this example, being unproductive).  “Oh, a problem? That’s what I do, I’m a manly man, I fix stuff! Let me give you a list of solutions.”  If you’re laughing out loud right now, you’ve been there too, and know exactly where this is going.

            As I presented my (again, extremely helpful) list of solutions to my wife, I could see the stormclouds gathering in her expression.  When the storm burst, she would always exclaim something along the lines of “I don’t want you to fix it! I just want you to listen!”.   The keyword in the beginning of her statement, that I didn’t key in on, was “I feel.”.  She just wanted me to listen to, understand, and sympathize with her feelings.  What I heard instead was, “here’s a problem I need your help resolving.”, which is not at all what she was saying.  It’s just a social (and perhaps cultural) difference in how we’re wired as men and women.  Sometimes, life is hard, and we just want a little empathy.

            This sounds like exactly what was going on in the early chapters of Job.  His friends are all offering an extremely helpful list of solutions (eg, “God is good to the just and only punishes the wicked, what did you do? let’s talk about it, and maybe we can fix you”…), but what Job needs is just a little bit of empathy.  In our reading of Job 6-7 this morning, we can really see the stormclouds bursting as Job replies to his friends “I don’t need you to fix me, I just want you to listen!” (obviously paraphrased).

            Why do bad things happen to good people?  Why would God allow X to happen to this person?  These are great questions, and cause a lot of people to reject God, but we know that “time and chance happen to all men” (Ecc 9:11).  We also know that God tests men (James 1:3, 1 Pet 1:7), and that the reason for this testing is not only to gauge where we’re at spiritually, but to refine us and provide spiritual growth (Prov 17:3, Rom 5: 3-4).  God disciplines those he loves (Heb 12:6, Rev 3:19), just like a parent disciplines their child at times, in order to correct their behavior.  Here’s the thing, nobody likes to be tested.  It’s usually stressful physically, mentally, and emotionally.    Tests are, by their nature, testing.  Here are a couple deep points to consider though: we do not advance without tests, and we usually don’t get the test results immediately.  You may not even get the results in this lifetime, but keep in mind: *beeeep* this is a test, this is only a test.

            In Job 7:7-8, Job laments his fleeting mortality and then asks God a question in 7:17-18: “17What is man that You magnify him, And that You set Your heart on him, 18That You examine him every morning And test him every moment?” (LSB).  In v19, Job then asks “Will You never turn Your gaze away from me, ,,,” because he’s basically saying “I’m an  insignificant man, why are you testing me so hard?”.  Interestingly, in Psalms 8:4, David asks the same exact question: “What is man that You remember him, And the son of man that You care for him?” but when David asks it, it’s out of a devout awe of God, an awestruck attempt at understanding why God would show such favor to him, an insignificant man.  So let’s think about it for a moment: what is *man? (*by man we are clearly not talking about gender, but mankind or humanity in general, more accurately).

            In Genesis 1:26, God says “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness, so that they will have dominion …”. (LSB, See 8/5/26 devotion on my opinion why God says “us” here, btw).  So, God made us in His image so that we would have dominion on the earth.  That is a much bigger deal than most people think.  Consider this for a moment: rulers both ancient and recent alike  put their “stamp” on things, in order to claim ownership.  In ancient times, one of the first things a ruler/king/pharoah would do when they conquered a land would be to put up a statue of themselves in that place.  This is just a plain statement to everyone that “This is mine!”.  That’s why you’ll find all across the ancient world statues, obelisks, steles, arcs, and other various memorials.  Each one makes a specific claim, each one has specific communications it’s trying to convey, but at the end of the day what they are all saying is “MINE!”.  We see that even today.  Modern rulers don’t go in for statues as much as they used to in ancient times, but they will paste their names on large buildings, monuments, or bridges.  It’s all just a claim of ownership.

            In Psalms 24:1, it says “…The earth is Yahweh’s, as well as its fullness, The world, and those who dwell in it “.  Let’s consider that for a moment: everything, and everybody, on this planet belongs to God.  “But what about the…” Yep.  “Well, what about the…” Yep, that too.  “But surely you don’t mean…” Yep.  EVERYTHING, and EVERYBODY that are existing, have existed, or will exist on this planet belong to God, because He created us.  If you can see it, smell it, hear it, taste it, feel it, talk to it, etc…it belongs to God.  As humans, we have taken a rather proprietal view of “our stuff” and “our lives” and “our (insert anything here)” but the reality is: both we and everything that we think we own belong to God.  Everybody.  Everything.  It all belongs to God.  Full stop.

            So in answer to the question “What is man, that You magnify him?”, well, God told us at the beginning.  We are created in the image of God, because we are here as representatives of God, and we have been given dominion over this earth, in God’s name.  We’re actually a big deal, not because we are anything more than insignificant little winds passing quickly through His marvelous creation, but because He placed us here with His image so that we could represent Him.  This particular iteration of creation was created for us, and we are supposed to be representing God in it.

            So as representatives of the Most High God, as human beings who have been given dominion/rulership over this beautiful creation, a good test question might be “so, how’s that working out for you?”.  Unfortunately, as we look around at our society, at our dysfunctional systems, and our hardened hearts I think if we’re being honest the reply would be “Not great, Bob.“.  There is coming a day though, and coming very soon unless I am greatly mistaken, when the Kingdom of God will be established here on the earth.  When our king the Christ will return and cause us all to seek to represent God again, with all our hearts.  When all of us who have passed our tests and pleased our God will enter as citizens of the kingdom.  What is man?  We are God’s representatives.  Let’s act like it.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

  1. Think of a test or trial in your past: when it was over, looking back, are you able to see how you had advanced or developed because of it? 
  2. Think of a test or trial that you are currently undergoing: what do you think the intent or desired outcome of this test is? 
  3. If you are not undergoing a test right now, consider that God tests those He loves, and ask why not and what can you do differently?

PRAYER

Father God, what is man?  Help me to be the person that I was created to be.  Help me to reflect and represent Your perfection here on Your creation.  Please forgive me of the many times I fall short, and when I stumble please lift me up.  Help me to overcome.  In Jesus name, Amen.

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Greater than Moses

Esther 5-6

Psalms 92

*Hebrews 3

-Devotion by Jeremy Martin (TN)

            It should be pointed out that to the Jewish folks, Moses (Moshe) was a Really Big Deal.  Moses is a big deal to any of the “Children of the Book”, and Christians and Muslims alike regard Moses as a man who spoke God’s words to the people, a prophet who God performed miracles through.  All of the prophets were highly revered but to the Jewish people though, the people who Moses led out of slavery, the people who witnessed miracles performed by God through the man, the people who witnessed him going in to speak with God until his face actually glowed, he was a really, really, big deal.  Like, 5 out of 5 stars in all the reviews, just top notch.  Best Guy Ever.

            Let’s review quickly: Moses, old guy with a beard.  Not really a big talker.  Happily tending his flock out in the middle of nowhere when God* starts to have a conversation with the guy from a burning bush and then tells him that he’s going to be the agent by which God frees His chosen people, the Israelites.  A little bit of whining, God loops in his brother Aaron to assist, then off they go back to the land of Egypt.  “Give me my people”, “No”, plague plague plague plague (x10), then “ok, you and your people get out”.  Run away, “wait, now who’s going to do all the manual  labor?”, pursuit, miraculous escape through the sea, followed by immediate miraculous destruction of pursuing army by same sea. Wandering, whining, miracles, manna, more whining, there’s the promised land go get it,  “we’re a’scared”, wander wander wander (x40yrs), there’s the promised land go get it, “ok, but can we stop wandering?” and right about then Moses dies.  That very brief, highly summarized review of Moses took place in the latter third of his life, covering the time when he was 80-120 years old, the 40 years directly prior to his passing.

            Moses was an incredibly Big Deal, he gave the people The Law, and lots of good advice on how to act (which went largely ignored until they were forcibly reminded), and God performed miraculous signs through him.  God used Moses to do all of these things, and had a unique and special relationship with Moses unlike any man before or after (until Jesus came).  Moses gave the definitive books of the Torah to the Israelites, faithfully recording what God spoke and was a faithful servant who was “more humble than any man was on the face of the earth” (Num 12:3) even despite all of the great deeds listed above.  The level of respect and reverence that later generations of Israelites had and have for Moses can not be overstated.      

            That’s why it is such a big deal in Hebrews 3 when the author says “Moses, yea, super guy, but Jesus?  He’s better.” (Heb 3:3, painfully paraphrased).  This is being written specifically to convince the Jewish folks that Yeshua the Nazarene (you know, Jesus of Nazareth) was The Christ, the Messiah prophesied long ago by the prophets (including Moses, see Dt 18:18).  This guy, he’s really important because with no disrespect to brother Moses (again, 5 out of 5 stars, super guy); Moses was as a servant, but this Jesus guy is as a son.  Both came and were servants of God, both came and spoke the words God told them to, both saved a whole bunch of people; but Moses came to save and restore the Israelites, but Jesus came to save and restore the entire earth, and all of it’s people**.

            In Heb 3:1-2 it clearly states that we have a High Priest (Jesus) who is faithful to Him who appointed him, as Moses also was faithful.  God appointed Jesus as High Priest.  Where do we get the High Priest from though?  Heb 5:1 says “from men”, and and Psalms 89:19 says “from among the people”.  In Heb 1:2, it states “His son, whom He appointed heir of all things…”.  Over and over we see very clearly that God has appointed Jesus, as His son, as our High Priest, as The Messiah.  To clarify the pecking order, our corporate flow chart, “For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God.”(Heb 3:4) and it then goes on to clarify “but Christ was faithful as a son over his house-whose house we are…” in Heb 3:6.  God built everything, and appointed Christ heir  to inherit it, as a reward for his obedience.  Listen: if you already own something (Ps 24:1), you don’t need to appoint yourself as the heir to it.  If you already have full supreme power, you don’t need to anoint yourself as king.  You’re already in charge of everything.  We all agree that “Christ” means “the anointed one”.  Anointed by who? Well, the “builder of all things is God”.  The heir that God anointed and appointed is Christ.  It’s pretty straightforward, if you base your doctrine exclusively on scripture, and not tradition.

            This is a pretty basic and undeniable understanding of scripture.  We miss out on a lot of opportunities to talk to Jewish folks (God’s chosen people, see above) about the Messiah as Christians because of a lot of the theories and convoluted explanations that are so exasperatingly confusing and contradictory are now held to be doctrine by a huge number of our brothers and sisters.  Even worse, we miss out on a lot of opportunities to be obedient to our King and to our (and his) God, when we harden our hearts and don’t listen when we hear his voice. (Heb 3:15).  One last thought I’d like to put forth today: both Moses and Jesus were exceptionally humble men, who not only obeyed God’s word and performed miracles, but did so obediently and sometimes in opposition to what they wanted to do personally.  These are the true “church fathers”, the one’s that we should listen to,  our role models, and our examples of how to please our God.

*-Moses talked to God.  Weeeell actually, Moses talked to God’s agent, the angel God sent.  See Ex 3:2-4 and contrast v2 with v4, it’s the first unquestionable documented example that God uses agents to interact with His creation, and that when these agents (shaliah) speak God’s words, they speak with the full authority of God (and so are often called God, because as His agent they’re representing His authority).  This is well understood in Jewish culture and literature and is common throughout scripture.  See also Ex 20:21-22 for another specific example, and note as well the approximately 40 times or so that Jesus says that “God sent me” in the book of John alone, which the Jewish  people understood to mean “he speaks with the authority of God because God sent him”, not anything else super confusing that may have been suggested later.  Lots of people “saw God” (or His agent) particularly in the OT, but 1 John 4:12 states clearly that “No one has ever seen God”, and this is confirmed in 1 Tim 6:15-16, ergo, anytime that happened it was most likely either in a dream, vision, or an agent that God sent.

**Jesus came to restore the entire earth.  Weeeeell actually, initially he came specifically (and exclusively) to “restore the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matt 15:24).  Gentiles were given the favor and opportunity for salvation specifically because some of the chosen people of God (the Israelites) rejected him, and also because God had planned to do it this way: to the Jew first, then to all of the nations of the earth.  Acts 10 starts the beginning of gentiles receiving salvation, well after Jesus had ascended and finished his earthly ministry, so if you’re a “dog of a gentile” try not to get too arrogant about it.  If we do make it into the kingdom, we’ll probably end up being the janitor or “fetchers of wood”, if we’re lucky.  Let’s be humble.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

  1. Why do we, as gentile dogs who are grafted on to the root while other (and arguably better) branches are pruned, ever become arrogant about our salvation when considering the humbleness of both Moses and Jesus (who were much more important than we’ll ever be)? (Yes, I know it’s a leading question, consider it though)
  2. Have you ever considered how highly favored you are, if you are a member of the body of Christ, a child of God?  Just reflect on that for a moment, don’t take it for granted!
  3. Isn’t God amazing? He told us in the beginning the plan (Gen 3:15), we just didn’t understand it.

PRAYER

Father God, thank you for providing a way for the rest of us, I am humbled and awed that you did.  Please lead us, forgive us when we fall short, and teach us the way to salvation.  In Jesus name, Amen.

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