Tag: Jeremy Martin

Your Brother

*Deuteronomy 21-22

Psalm 29

Mark 13

-Devotion by Jeremy Martin (TN)

            I’m very partial to and fond of the book of Deuteronomy for a couple reasons.  First and foremost, Jesus quoted out of this particular book religiously (no pun intended).  When Jesus was tempted, every single one of his responses was from the book of Deuteronomy (go ahead and verify that if you like, per temptation: hungry? Deut 8:3, test God? Deut 6:16, worship Satan? Deut 6:13).  When Jesus said “It is written…”, this is usually the book that he’s quoting from that it was written in; which tells me it was probably pretty important.

            When Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was, he quoted Deuteronomy 6:4-5, “The Shema”: 4“Hear, O Israel! Yahweh is our God, Yahweh is one! 5You shall love Yahweh your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might” (LSB Translation).  If you don’t have that one memorized and know it by heart, you really should, because according to Jesus it’s the greatest commandment; see Mark 12:29-31.  It’s one of the primary reasons that many of us understand our God in the manner in which we do, since it was given in such a clear manner.  This passage alone should have prevented a number of the innacurate understandings (but clearly didn’t, starting in about the 4th century and persisting to this very day).

            When I was younger and read some of the Old Testament statutes given to the Israelites, I thought some were just weird.  I didn’t really understand that this is because the statutes were given to an entirely different culture, in an entirely different time and place, and that they make much more sense when read holistically and with a more “macroscopic” lens.  When you take a step back most of these laws had to do with respect; respect for your community, respect for your fellow creation, and respect for your God.  The thing that I didn’t understand the most at the time was that respect for my fellow creation WAS respect for my God, or at least one aspect of it.

            Looking at just a few of these today from our reading, there is one specific point I’d like you to consider, and take away from this reading: (Deut 22:2 LSB ) “And if your brother is not near you, or if you do not know him, then you shall bring it home to your house, and it shall be with you until your brother searches for it; then you shall give it back to him.”.  This is the key question I’d like for us to think about today:  Who is our brother? We see from the above passage that they don’t need to be near us, and that we don’t even need to know them.  I would suggest that based on these two simple criteria that our brother (or sister, or “sibling” if you’d rather) is any other human being (which God created) that is sharing this planet (which God also created) with us (see also Luke 10: 25-37 for a more complete understanding).  Your brother is everyone, just as your sister is everyone, just as your neighbor is everyone.

            So when Jesus gave us the second greatest commandment in Mark 12:31, “…You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (quoting Lev 19:18), it sets a pretty high standard for this type of love.  I mean, let’s be honest: while most of us like our neighbors plenty, do we really love them as much as we love ourself?  Do you regularly think of how much food others have when you’re buying groceries for your family?  When you buy new clothes for yourself, are you also concerned about what the guy down the street is wearing?  When you get a new car, do you ever stop and consider how the next door neighbor’s vehicle is working?  I’d say that (speaking for myself at least) while I try to be a good Christian I tend to think about myself a lot more than I think about other folks, and the further out they are from me the more that is the case.   I could say that a lot of this is due to the wealth driven society that I grew up in here in America or the “current evil age” that we’re in, but then Christ came to save us and gave everything he did while we were still in our sin.  We should remember that when we consider how we act towards others, even when wronged.

            Applying the verse above we see that people that we don’t even know are our brother, our neighbor.  So what about their needs?  What about that homeless guy, or the addict, or that guy who goes to a different church that doesn’t believe the same thing, or that guy/gal that uses weird pronouns? Can we truly say that we love them as much as we love ourself?  If we did, we’d think about all of them every time we thought about doing something for ourself, and we just don’t.  It’s an almost impossibly high standard and one in which I personally fail almost constantly, if I’m being honest.

            I believe that a very, very important thing to remember is that God created us in His own image so that we would have dominion over the things on the earth (Gen 1:26), which comes with some privilege and some responsibility.  We have been placed here on this earth with our fellow creations, and allowed to have the resources and wealth that we currently possess by the grace of God, in order to reflect the character of God.  God is the most gracious, the most merciful, and being created in His image means that we should be reflecting that graciousness and mercy as well.  Think about how patient God has been with you. Do you show that same patience to others?  Think about how generous God has been with you.  Do you show that same generosity to others?  Think about how forgiving God has been with you.  Do you show that same forgiveness to others?  Think about it for a moment.  Now consider that even with all of the offenses that humanity has committed against God, from the beginning of history, He STILL sent us Jesus.  Sober reflection on this will show us that we have a long way to go if we are going to accurately reflect God’s love.

            Have you ever been watching TV or listening to the radio and hear a loud alarming series of beeps which are followed by a “This is a test.  This is only a test” message?  Well, we don’t get that loud annoying sound in life, but I’d like you to consider that this life that you have been given is also just a test.  God has strewn seeds all along the road, and the ones that grow and develop fruit in the manner which He desires will be brought into the storehouse and saved (The Kingdom).  Those that do not grow in the manner He desires and bear the proper fruits will be discarded.  If you are ever so focused on yourself that you do not stop to consider “Am I my brothers’ keeper?”, then please stop for a moment and understand fully that the answer is a resounding YES, because God made you that way, as His representative.  So, child of God, represent.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

How can I better reflect the character of God…

  • With my interactions with others?
  • With the wealth and other resources that God has given me?
  • With my time and attitude?
  • With my patience?
  • While bearing the fruits of the spirit?

When was the last time you…

  • Bought a homeless person a meal?
  • Offered a stranger a ride?
  • Stopped and helped a stranger who was broke down?
  • Offered to do a physically difficult task for an elderly person?
  • What are some things that you CAN do/WILL do for a “sibling”/neighbor?

PRAYER

Father God, help me to circumcise my heart, and to reflect Your character to all of my brothers and sisters, to each of the other beautiful and unique humans which You have created, to glorify You.  Please grant me the ability to show the same patience, mercy, and generosity that You’ve shown to me.  Father God, thank you most of all for Jesus.  Amen. 

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The Temple

Deuteronomy 19-20

Psalm 28

*Mark 13

-Devotion by Jeremy Martin (TN)

            There are some landmark buildings and monuments that make you feel small when you’re standing next to them, and give you a sense of wonder and awe when you see them.  The Statue of Liberty,  the Taj Mahal, the Eiffel Tower, the Great Pyramid of Giza, the Hagia Sophia, etc.  The first temple of Israel (built @ 966-959 BC) was one of those types of buildings, only more so,  until it was destroyed at the onset of the Babylonian captivity, around 587 BC.

            The importance of the Temple structure to the Jewish people can’t be overstated.  The entire culture of the ancient Jewish people was centered around this structure.  Jeremiah warned the people in Jeremiah 7:4 that just living by the temple (the First Temple) wasn’t going to keep them safe, particularly since the people were living an idolatrous and sinful life, but it had become so ingrained in the cultural psyche that “this was where God was” that it was inconceivable that it, or by extension they, would ever fall…despite clear warning from all of the prophets to turn away from idolatry and wickedness and return to God OR ELSE.

            When the first temple fell, the Jewish people were in captive exile for 70 years, it was devastating to the national identity.  Daniel 9:2 details the moment when Daniel, in his captivity and exile, discerned that the time of the desolation of Jerusalem, namely 70 years, had been fulfilled (he was reading from the book of Jeremiah 29:30, look it up).  Thus began the return to Israel and specifically Jerusalem as detailed in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah after being exiled and captive in a foreign kingdom for 70 years, as spoken by YHVH through the prophets.

            The second temple was built in 516 BC, you can see from the timeline that it was one of the first things restored (after the protective walls).  This marked the triumphant return, the temple rebuilt, the restoration of the people to God.  Keep in mind, the temple was at the very center of the ancient Jewish religious experience.  Without the temple you couldn’t offer sacrifice, couldn’t fulfill the Law, couldn’t talk to God in the manner in which they’d become accustomed.  For over 70 years, the Jewish people were orphaned from both their land and their God.  It truly can’t be overstated; the importance and significance of this structure to the Jewish people.  Can you imagine the joy and cultural pride of seeing it rebuilt again, after so long in captivity?  The answer is no, you can’t even begin to imagine; unless you were a Jew living in that time and living through those events, you can’t even begin to comprehend how big a deal it was.  We can get the glimmer of an idea when reading through the Old Testament, but to actually feel what they felt is beyond our ability, we can only imagine.  It was EVERYTHING to the Jewish people.

            Now, after the Temple has been rebuilt (called “the second temple”), it stood for over 500 years and is now once again the cultural and religious center of the Jewish people.  It’s ingrained in the culture and daily religious life of the people, generationally.  “A disciple” pulls Jesus aside to proudly point at the temple, and to marvel at it’s construction and stones.

            Jesus tells the disciple that “not one stone will be standing on top of the other“.  Can you imagine the sidelong looks?  Immediately his inner circle begins to question him privately: what are you talking about? When is this going to happen?  Why won’t the temple be standing? The account in Mark 13: 1-2 is paralleled in Matt 24:1-2 and also Luke 21: 5-6.  Each account has slightly varying details which is to be expected from different viewpoints (this is actually a “proof of veracity” by detectives when investigating and taking statements from witnesses, by the way, if they are all too closely aligned then collusion has usually occured).  I want you to take note that this conversation saved numerous early Christian lives.  Because they listened.

            The 2nd Temple was destroyed in 70 AD, by Roman forces (led by Titus) that had besieged Jerusalem.  This was a particularly brutal event.  Before the Roman forces ever arrived Jerusalem had been engaged in what was effectively a 3-way civil war which destroyed most of their food supplies, and then the Romans came.  This is an extremely well documented event; and is exceptionally horrifying and morbid.  I will spare you some of the gory details of starvation, famine, and cannibalism (such as Maria of Perea), but if you are interested look up “Siege of Jerusalem (70 CE)” on wikipedia.  There will be more information there than you can scour from your mind about the horrors of this terrible war that are well documented by Josephus (who was conscripted and spared for this purpose) and others. The Arch of Titus still stands as a testament in stone to this event.  It’s truly terrible, and horrific atrocities occurred. 

            Do you know who didn’t suffer through this horror, though? The early Christian church.  The parallel account in Luke 21: 20-22 is the clearest reading of this warning: “But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that it’s desolation is at hand.  Then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains…because these are the days of vengeance…“(LSB).  Vengeance for what, you may ask? Well, think about it, Jesus was crucified about 30 years prior.  It is well documented by early church historians (including Eusibius of Caesarea, Remigius, and Epiphanius) that the  early church fled Judea to Pella (in the Decapolis region east of the Jordan River),  around 66-69 AD…as the Romans were coming and began surrounding the city of Jerusalem.  To understand the tribulation they avoided by doing so I really recommend you read that article mentioned above,  but the thing to note is that they listened to Jesus, and then they acted.

            When we read all of Jesus’ words in Mark 13, let’s be honest: it’s pretty ominous.  It doesn’t paint a pretty picture.  It says that as believers, we will probably have to go through some unpleasantness to put it lightly.  Pay special note to Mark 13:13 though, because in this is our promise: “…but the one who endures to the end, he will be saved.” (LSB).  We as Christians need to listen, our very lives depend on it.  If you want to see the kingdom of God, we must endure to the end.  One of my favorite bible verses is Zeph 2:3: “Seek Yahweh, All you humble of the earth who have worked his justice; seek righteousness, seek humility.  Perhaps you will be hidden in the day of Yahweh’s anger.” (LSB).

So what can we, as followers of Christ, do to protect ourselves?

  • Seek Yahweh. Listen to Him, and those whom He sent to instruct us (particularly the Christ).
  • Pray, fast, work His justice upon the earth.  (See that homeless guy? Feed him.  See that elderly widow? Go ask if she needs help.  Go and visit the jails or the hospitals, offer the orphan hope, turn the other cheek when offended, freely give to those in need, work His justice upon the earth!)
  • Ask our Mediator, the Christ, to intercede for us.
  • Seek Righteousness, seek Humility.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

  1. Do you regularly “work His justice upon the earth”?
  2. How can you improve in that area, in both frequency and implementation?
  3. How can you listen better, to both the written words and spirit of, our God?
  4. What are some ways that we can build up our endurance to prepare?

PRAYER

Father God, thank You for life, breath, and all things.  Thank You for sending us Your son to teach us the way to the kingdom.  Please help us to humbly acknowledge You in all things, in all of our ways, and to listen when You speak to us.  Please instruct us, lead us, and keep us safe.  Grant us the endurance that we will need in order to please You.  In Jesus name, Amen.

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The Question

*Deuteronomy 7-8

*Psalm 25

*Mark 10

“…Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” (Mark 10:17)

            I suppose that this question directly and pointedly asks the question we all wonder at in our heart.  Hebrews 11:6 clearly states “…for he who draws near to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.“.   God doesn’t require blind and unthinking obedience, he is a God of reason, and wants you to understand that there is a reward for your obedience and faith; there’s a reason you should want to do what God tells us. 

            If this was not the case, this would have been the perfect opportunity for Jesus to say “Hey man, why are you being so selfish?”, but Jesus recognized the sincerity of the man’s question and answered him equally sincerely by saying, “…Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments, ‘DO NOT MURDER, DO NOT COMMIT ADULTERY, DO NOT STEAL, DO NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS, Do not defraud, HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER.’” (Mark 10:18-19 LSB).

            There are 2 very important bits that we need to take away from this response.  Firstly Jesus said “Why do you call me good?  No one is good except God alone.”.  This is (yet another) clear delineation between our King, the Christ (anointed one),  and God Himself.  If you have a more “complex” interpretation of God than is explicitly stated biblically, this verse creates complex issues, if you’re being honest.  There’s a simpler reading.  Secondly, Jesus’ first “go to” response is “what do the commandments say?” (Exodus 20, for reference).

            Jesus then goes on to say the man should sell all that he has, and give to the poor.  Keeping the commandments alone isn’t enough.  This makes the man sad because it seems as if his priority is wealth.   If you like, do a study on the Jewish concept of “tzedekah”; it’s a great understanding of how we should view worldly wealth conceptually (and most Christians have never even heard of it).  We’ll have a devotion that focuses on that concept later.

            In this present evil age, it is very difficult to keep our priorities straight.  We are constantly bombarded with imagery and concepts that are intentionally designed to divert our attention from our Creator and towards…anything and everything else.  Jesus gave us our priority, and told us to actively strive for our reward in Matthew 6:33  “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (LSB).  Our entire life should be focused on seeking God’s kingdom, and striving to have and exhibit the character of God.

            The word here used for righteousness is δικαιοσύνην and could be more accurately translated (as most places that righteousness is used) as “equity”, and I prefer that translation as it’s more accurate and has more depth and nuance to it.  Here’s a handy definition of equity as a refresher:

Equity (noun): (from the American Heritage Dictionary of Common Language, 5th ed)  

1.      The state or quality of being just and fair.
  • Something that is just and fair.
  • Justice achieved not simply according to the strict letter of the law but in accordance with principles of substantial justice and the unique facts of the case

            So we are to seek the Kingdom of God AND His (God’s) righteousness, or equity.  To be just and fair, not just by the letter of the law, but in our entire character and intent.  Note that this latter command to seek the righteousness of God is not only a job, but is in itself a reward, and is a necessary component to entering His Kingdom.  This character reflects not only how we are supposed to act, but how we are supposed to be, deep down inside where people can’t see.

“For you are a holy people to Yahweh your God…You shall know therefore that Yahweh your God, He is God, the faithful God, who keeps His covenant and His  loving-kindness to a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments…Therefore, you shall keep the commandments…”(Deut 7:6&9-11, LSB) So, is it important to keep the commandments? Well, according to Jesus our King, it is.  Then after we submit to this foundational obedience we must go even further, not just obeying the letter of the law, but actually modelling the character of our amazingly wonderful Creator, Yahweh God.

            We’re easily misled, as humans.  Sometimes by people, sometimes by traditions that people have elevated, and sometimes even our own hearts can lead us astray. We know from scripture that “the heart is more deceitful than all else” (Jer 17:9 LSB), and that we are to “Trust in Yahweh…lean not on your own understanding” (Prov 3:5-6 LSB).  God gave us His word, the scriptures, to be our guide.  All of the scriptures.  In our reading of Psalms 25  today, we have some of our promises and instructions for being “qodesh”, or holy: “Make me know your ways, O Yahweh, teach me your paths…Good and upright is Yahweh, therefore He instructs sinners in the way…and may he teach the humble His way...for Your name’s sake, O Yahweh, pardon my iniquity for it is great…the secret of Yahweh is for those who fear Him, and He will make them know His covenant.” (Ps 25:4,8,9,11-14 LSB)  This tells us clearly that even in this present evil age when we are so easily confused and misled, God Himself will instruct us, if we humbly and obediently seek Him.

            When Jesus was tempted, after fasting for 40 days in the wilderness, the first thing he was tempted with was food.  Have you ever fasted for more than a day or two?  Towards the end did you find that you were pretty focused on getting something to eat?  Jesus’ reply to the Accuser was to quote the scriptures, “…man does not live by bread alone, but by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of Yahweh” (Deut 8:3, LSB).  Interestingly, every rebuttal that Jesus gives while being tempted was from the book of Deuteronomy.  Jesus seems to have thought Deuteronomy was pretty relevant; when asked what the greatest commandment was, he quoted Deut 6:4-5 (The Shema, that story is found in Mark 12) first as the greatest commandment. Is the Old Testament relevant to Christians? Well, to the Christ, it was.  Is a servant greater than his master?  When you are tempted, follow Jesus’ example; quoting the scripture not only chastens our enemy, but edifies ourselves with our intent.  Memorize some key verses to help you in defending yourself.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

  1. Jesus saw the 10 commandments as basic foundational requirements.  Do you obey all 10 of the commandments, as they are explicitly written?  Why, or why not?
  2. We are to seek first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness (or, “equity”).  How is that going for you?  What can you specifically do on a daily basis to more accurately reflect the magnificent love and character of God to your fellow creation?
  3. We are all tempted in a manner that is specific to our weakness(es).  Do you have at least 3 key scriptures memorized, to defend yourself from your specific temptations?  What are they?  If not, why?

PRAYER

Lord God Yahweh, please, teach me Your ways.  Straighten my paths before me, Father, and lead me along the path that leads to Your kingdom.  Circumcise my heart, and let me humbly seek your will through obediently following Your word and Your will, as given to us in scriptures and in the teachings of the Christ.  Father, forgive me for when I fall short, please be merciful and loving towards me, and help me to reflect that mercy and love to all of Your creation.  Thank you, Father, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

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His Eyelids Test the Sons of Men

Leviticus 14-15

*Psalm 11

Matthew 24

Devotion by Jeremy Martin (TN)

            Today, as you are reading this devotional, it’s my birthday which is a little ironic because as I am writing this particular devotion a week before it is released, it’s on the anniversary of my death day (2/14, see my devotional on 2/5/26 for details).  It’s an interesting contrast when you consider it.  I am alive by the grace of God.  Today when I woke up, my wife asked me (as she normally does when she wakes up) “How are you today?”  My response was, as it normally is, “I am alive!  I’m wonderful, I should be dead but I’m alive.  God is good.”. 

            If you think about it, we should all share that same sentiment: God is good, we exist at all because of His goodness and mercy, we are alive simply because He wills it.  There are things you don’t even know about that God probably did to ensure that you woke up today, opened your eyes, and breathed.  There are times in your life that you might have died, whether you are aware of them or not, when God saved you and let you live up until right now, today.  What a blessing! Sometimes we take that for granted, please take my advice: don’t.  Life is precious, and if you are reading this, it’s a gift that God gave you directly because He wanted to.  Be grateful.  This too shall pass, enjoy it now.

            Today we’re going to discuss something weird.  It might even be considered controversial and a little disturbing by some, but we’ll draw our conclusions from scripture.  We’re going in for a deep dive today, are you ready?  Listen: I know that it’s a lot more time consuming, but it will really help your understanding if you look up all of the verses listed today, as we’ll be going to quite a few other scriptures to get a “holistic” understanding.  They’ll all be in bold font.  Our focus today will be Ps 11, read that in it’s entirety, and then let’s consider Ps 11:4 specifically, which says “Yahweh is in His holy temply; Yahweh’s throne is in heaven; His eyes behold, His eyelids test the sons of men.” (LSB). 

            We all know and understand the “His eyes behold” portion, and know that God sees mankind and gauges our actions (As proof texts read the following and don’t take my word for it:  Ps 33:13-15, Ps 14:2, 2 Chronicles 16:9, Prov 15:3, Zech 4:10, Hebrews 13:2, Mal 3:16) it’s a constant theme throughout scripture.  God Himself, or His agents, are observing our actions constantly.  How else could He rightly judge?  The whole earth is His, and everything in it (Ps 24:1).  But what does it mean to say “His eyelids test the sons of men”?

            Jesus explains in Matt 5:28 that if you sin in your heart, it’s still a sin.  James 1:14-15 explains that our hidden desires, when fed, lead to sin and then death.  Wrong thinking leads to wrong doing.  I can’t speak for you, but I can speak for myself personally and say that even when I have done no physical sin, I constantly struggle internally to be holy.  I sin in my heart constantly, and I’m really trying not to.  Whether pride, or lust, or envy, or greed.  YOU can’t see it, but it’s there, and I’m painfully aware it’s there because for the last couple years I’ve been trying to purify my heart and follow Jesus in every way.  Here’s the thing, though: God sees it (1 Sam 16:7), because His eyelids test the sons of men.

            Q: How, though?  A: In your sleep.  Have you ever been asleep and had a dream that you recalled briefly upon waking that involved a moral dilemma, or course of actions that you had to choose between?  That was what I call a “dream test”.  God tests your heart, almost constantly, many times in dreams or “visions in the night”.  Not only that though, but He instructs us as well.  You very seldom recall it, but once you start paying attention, you’ll notice more of it.  Sound crazy?  Check these scriptures out : Job 33: 14-18, Ps 7:9, Ps 16:7, Ps 17:3, Ps 139:1-4, Is 26:9, Jer 17:10, Matt 1:20, Acts 18:9-10, Rev 2:23.    My point is this: you can clearly see, through scripture (and scripture cannot be broken) that God not only tests us but instructs us in our sleep.  In dreams, in visions of the night.

**As a sidenote Job 33 is my favorite chapter in the bible because it is MY story, and the story of God’s grace and mercy: it was written for and about me.  It’s also where I discovered this concept.  See Job 33:14-30 if you’re interested.

            I think it’s important at this point to note that even if we have a revealing dream, we must always test the spirits to make sure they are from God (1 John 4:1).   Since we are engaged in a spiritual war (Eph 6:12) it is absolutely plausible and probable that your enemy may test you as well, or try to divert you.  For an example of this read Job 4:12-21 very carefully, consider the source, and recall that later Eliphaz is chastised by God because “you have not spoken of Me what is right” (Job 42:7).  This stuff is a little scary, but remember that Yahweh God is “Most High”, and protects us fiercely as a loving Father (Zech 2:8, 2 Thess 3:3).

            Your creator, He who formed your heart, knows your heart…better even than you yourself do.  This is why David asks God to reveal to him his hidden faults and cleanse them in Ps 19:12; David understands that God knows him better than he knows himself.  We are called to not just act right, but to be right.  Even in our hearts, where we think no one else can see, because GOD SEES.  This is the most challenging thing, for me, because I’ve found that if you’ve immersed yourself in the world you begin to think in worldly terms and it’s hard to change your perspective.  We have to be born again (John 3:3, keep your finger here), to repent (change course) and be born of the spirit (John 3:5).  THIS IS A REQUIREMENT TO ENTER THE KINGDOM OF GOD, not an optional career path as a Christian (John 3:7 ok, you can move your finger now).

            God is trying to teach us, He is testing us and helping us pass the future tests by giving us instruction and direction when we are sleeping.  Sometimes, if we listen closely, He will instruct us when we’re awake (Is 30:21, Ps 32:8).  He also speaks to us every time we read the scriptures.  The problem isn’t that God isn’t speaking to us, the problem is that (particularly among the distractions of this evil age) we’re not listening hard enough.  So what can we do to listen to God better?  Well, funny you should ask…

PRACTICAL STEPS TO ACTIVELY LISTEN TO GOD:

  1. Pray before you sleep, ask God to speak to you.
  2. Read scripture right before you go to sleep to prepare your heart and your head to listen
  3. Keep a journal by your bed to write down dreams or messages (Trust me.)
  4. Expect it: God has been and will continue trying to speak to you.  LISTEN.

Reflection Questions

  1. How many times a day do you hear the voice of God?
  2. How many times a day do you actively seek to hear the voice of God?
  3. Do you think there’s a correlation between those two, and how can you increase both?
  4. Have you ever had a dream and knew that it was from God immediately when you woke up?
  5. If answer to the question above is “yes”, did you journal it to remind yourself? (Please consider doing so, if you don’t already).

PRAYER

Father God, Creator and Sustainer of all things, please instruct me.  Teach me, Lord.  Open my ears that I might hear, and open my eyes that I might see.  Help me to do your will, to be humble before you, and place You in the rightful spot on the throne of my heart.  Grant me wisdom in equal portions to the mercy You grant me daily.  Be my shelter, Father, and protect me in this evil time.  Please forgive me when I fall short in my heart, and lead me along the path that enters Your kingdom.  I thank You and I praise You, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

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Strange Fire

*Leviticus 10-11

Psalm 10

Matthew 23


Devotion by Jeremy Martin (TN)

            There are a number of cautionary tales in the bible.  Whenever I see a few specific characters, I mentally always add “The cautionary tale of….” and that character’s name to remind me that while every single one of us has a purpose, sometimes that purpose is just to be an example to others of what not to do.  The cautionary tale of Queen Vashti is one of my favorites (See the book of Esther), about privilege and responsibility.  Today’s reading is one of those, “The cautionary tale of Nadab and Abihu”, and it’s always intrigued me as well, primarily because I’ve always wondered what “strange fire” was.

            First, a little background.  Aaron and his descendants were designated (by God, see Leviticus 8 for details on their ordaining) to be the priests of Israel, the men who would stand before God and offer propitiation for the sins of the nation.  Aaron had 4 sons by his wife Elisheba (Ex 6:23), and Nadab and Abihu were the two oldest.  Aaron was the “High Priest”, and had some specific duties that only he was supposed to carry out, and his sons were all  priests.  All of his descendants are priests as well, but it should be noted that Nadab and Abihu did not have any children so their younger brothers stepped up to fill their role after the events in today’s reading (Eleazar and Ithamar, as noted in Num 4:4 and later in Lev 10).

            Keep in mind also that these newly appointed priests were just freshly put in the position, back in Lev 8.  We then have to go back a chapter from today’s reading to get the pattern of what a normal ritual should look like, going back and reading from Lev 9:1-23 for the particulars, and culminating in Lev 9:24 when “Then fire came out from before Yahweh and consumed the portions of fat on the altar.  And all the people saw it and shouted out and fell on their faces.” (LSB) .  I think I’d fall on my face too, it’s a pretty amazing scene.  It’s also pretty important to note that Aaron as the high priest was the one who was supposed to offer the sacrifices for the nation, as noted in Lev 9:6-10 and Ex 30:7-8.

            So, seemingly immediately after the miraculous fire coming out from before Yahweh and all of the people falling on their face, enter Nadab and Abihu, who “took their respective firepans and put fire in them.  Then they placed incense on it and offered strange fire before Yahweh, which He had not commanded.” (Lev 10:1, LSB)..  Then, as before, “fire came out from before Yahweh” but instead of burning up the offering, it burned up Nadab and Abihu.

            So what is strange fire?  I’ve honestly always wondered.  Carefully dissecting today’s reading,  there were probably a couple factors in their unfortunate demise.  First off, it was presumptuous of Nadab and Abihu to offer the incense before God, since that was the job of the High Priest.  Secondly, they used their own fire on the incense (Lev 10:1) instead of the “fire which came forth from Yahweh”.  The word that we translate as “strange” fire could also be equally accurately translated as “profane” fire, by the way.  This seems like a pretty cavalier attitude from a couple guys who just spent an entire week (Lev 8) preparing spiritually to enter the priesthood.  Then Moses says to Aaron “It is what Yahweh spoke, saying, by those who come near Me I will be treated as holy, and before all the people I will be glorified.” (Lev 10:3, LSB).

            While this was a bit presumptuous on Nadab and Abihu’s part, read on in Lev 10:8-11: “Yahweh then spoke…saying, “do not drink wine or strong drink…when you come into the tent of meeting, so that you will not die…so as to separate between the holy and the profane…” (LSB).  It doesn’t seem likely that this was a random statement given the circumstances, but more likely a bit of preventative education from God  for future priests.  This seems to indicate that maybe they were impaired with alcohol as well, which might help to explain the (extremely poor) decision to offer “strange fire” on their own.  There was more than one thing going on, it looks like.

            What’s strangest to me in this story is that just prior to these events, both Nadab and Abihu were present with the 70 elders when God appeared to them in Ex 24:3-8.  These are men that should have had an extremely healthy respect for the most high God.  These are men that should have known with every fiber of their being that the Lord God Almighty is Qodesh (Holy, Set Apart, Seperated), and had seen with their own eyes the awesome and fearful power of the living God.  These are men that were likely in line to be High Priests themselves, but because they did not separate in their minds and actions between the holy and the profane, the clean and the unclean, they died in a fire.  They should have known better.

            When we approach our God, we need to make sure that we are not offering strange fire.  We should be sober (1 Pet 1:13) and focused.  We need to separate in our mind between the clean and the unclean, the holy and the profane, before we approach the altar.  We need to purify ourselves.  Consider for a moment a tiny ant, and your relationship with it comparatively.  Our role before our Creator is infinitesmally smaller than that, comparatively.  When we pray, when we seek God, we need to understand that this is the most important and critical moment in our existence, every time, and not a casual conversation: we are approaching the Lord God Almighty, the Creator of heaven and earth, the master of all life who sustains us with His breath (Job 34:14-15) and we should tremble.   Approaching the Lord God Most High is not something that is to be taken casually or lightly, but with awe and reverence.

            Since God has sent us his Christ, we no longer need to make ritual sacrifices, the sacrifice has been made once and for all.   The sacrifices that we need to make, the sacrifices that our God desires from us are righteousness (which can also be translated as “equity”), and obedience (1 Sam 15:22). We need to reflect the amazing and awesome character of our God, and love Him with our whole heart, as well as loving the rest of His creation as much as we do ourselves (Mark 12:29-31), just like He has loved us. Jer 29:13 says “You will seek me and find me when you search for me with all your heart.”  (LSB).  If you go seeking inappropriately and offering strange fire, be very aware that instead of finding God, God might find you.  Don’t become a cautionary tale.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

  1. Lots of times when we pray, we basically just present God with our “to do” list.  Do you pause for a few moments and consider the level of interaction between a single tiny human and the omnipotent Creator of all things in the universe before you pray?  Every time?
  2. When you open your Bible to read it, do you pause for a few moments to wonder at the amazing grace and love of the Lord God most high who has given you His words as a guide, tiny human?
  3. Do you seek fully to know your God with the attitude of an unworthy servant seeking their hardest to please their master? All the time, or just on church days?
  4. Consider for just a moment, every day, what am amazing God we have.  It should melt your heart.   He sent His own son as a sin offering, to cut a covenant with us.  What are you going to do to show God how much you love Him back, today?

PRAYER

Father God, my Master and my Creator, forgive me, heal me, and teach me.  I am an unworthy servant.  You are wonderful and beautiful, and greater than all.  Help me to be a servant who pleases his master.  I was not worth the price You paid for me, have mercy on me Lord God.  Help me to love as You love.  Grant me your spirit, and teach me wisdom so that I can please you.  Thank you heavenly Father, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

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Set Apart

Exodus 25-26

Psalm 4

Matthew 18

Devotion by Jeremy Martin (TN)

Ps 4: 3a “But know that Yahweh has set apart the holy one for Himself;…” (LSB)

In Hebrew, the word for “holy” is “qodesh”.  Like many of the words that we translate over into English, the original word in Hebrew has a number of meanings and we try to summarize it nicely to the word that most closely matches in our language, but in doing so we also sometimes lose a lot of the “flavor” that the original word encompasses.  We translate “qodesh” as “holy”, but it  also means “seperated”, “set aside”, and “set apart”.  When we read the above verse with that in mind, you can also read it as “Yahweh has set apart the set apart one for Himself” entirely accurately.  It’s a clever word play.

But what does that mean?  It’s simple, look around you at our society.  We live in a world that is rife with sin, carnal images, narcissistic encouragements, pride, immorality, etc.  It’s everywhere.  We are a people that has largely forgotten about our God, it’s painfully apparent in almost every aspect of our society.  God wants us to set ourselves apart from all of this, to remember and honor Him, and to obey His will.  In return, He promises that He will set apart for Himself those who set themselves apart.  But how are we to do that?

Ps 4:4-5 “Tremble, and do not sin.  Ponder in your heart upon your bed, and be still.  Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, And trust in Yahweh.” (LSB)

The fear of Yahweh is the beginning of wisdom (Pr 9:10).  Fear, and do not sin.  Think about God as you’re laying in your bed, and be still.  Another translation of “be still” is “quit kicking”, which I’m personally a fan of.  This is all about attitude and understanding your place.  Acknowledge God as not only your creator, but the creator and master of ALL THINGS, He’s in charge and you’re not.  A roommate of mine in college had a fantastic poster that read “2 Foundation Facts for Human Englightment: 1 There is a God, 2 You are not Him.”.  

Are you living a righteous life? That is the sacrifice that God requires, not the cattle on a thousand hills, not a specific percentage of your income, not writing the big checks you see on TV that take 2 people to even hold up, but righteousness.  It’s a sacrifice, you put aside some of the things you think you’d like to do to set yourself apart and obey God.  

Do you trust God?  Our society has taught us to trust in ourselves, to trust in the system, to trust authorities, and to trust in our abilities but has largely obscured this critical aspect of trusting in our creator.  There are a thousand and one things to distract us, to divert us, to capture our attention and take it away from this critical foundational concept of trusting the God that made us.  I will put forth for your consideration that anything you trust in more than God has become an idol to you.  Anything that you delight in more than God can become an idol to you, and cause you to focus on things aside from our heavenly Father.

God specifically and repeatedly tells us not to have idols, not to focus on things that are worthless, and remember Him.  We look back in history at some of the false gods that the Israelites worshipped and just shake our heads.  Then we go back to watching TV, getting on social media, watching movies, trying to get ahead at work, playing video games, reading books, getting a better car/house/mate…anything that diverts and distracts us from what our real job should be; setting ourselves apart and offering up to God the sacrifice of our righteousness and trust.  If any of those things is taking more of your focus than you are giving to God, it has become an idol to you.  I will tell you a painful reality: if you swim for too long in the sewer, you’re going to smell like poop.   Everything that takes your attention away from God is the sewer.

I do trust God, because do you remember the story of the prodigal son?  That was me.  My Father came running down the road to greet me when I started coming back to Him.  I am ashamed that I ever turned aside, and humbled that despite my vast unworthiness, my God came running to me the moment I started back towards Him.  I promise, if you have veered off the path, return to God.  He will come running to meet you. 

In our Matt 18 reading today, in 18:12-14 is the parable of that lost sheep.  That was me, too.  God came looking for me when I was lost, and found me.  Notably, He found me when I pointed my head back in His direction because I heard Him calling; if I would have kept wandering away, who knows what would have happened?  In Luke 15:7 it says that when that lost sheep is found, there is rejoicing in heaven.  I get a little choked up just thinking about it, God cares so much about me, about you, about all of us, that He is actively seeking us to find ways to bring us home.  There is rejoicing in heaven when we start heading back towards God.  This should melt your heart, when you realize the depth of love and compassion that our creator has towards us.

So what about you?  Are you trusting in the God that loves you and offering up the sacrifice of righteousness to Him?  Have the idols of this present evil age distracted you?  Are you playing on the field, and not spectating from the seats in the game of life?  Here are a few practical daily tips to help you focus on and trust God.

  1. Pray.  Not just at meals, but when you wake up, when you shower, before you go to bed, while you’re driving.  Let your heart be melted by the love God has shown to you, and reciprocate it back towards God.
  2. READ SCRIPTURE!  Daily.
  3. Fast occasionally.  It doesn’t even have to be food, take a break from some of the things that distract you from God and spend that time seeking God instead.  Man does not live by bread alone, but he also doesn’t live by TV, social media, or anything else that isn’t something that comes out of God’s mouth.
  4. Love others.  God doesn’t just want us to love Him, He says that one of the ways that we can show Him that love is to love the rest of His creation.  This includes jerks, hostile enemies, addicts, ugly people, people with different cultures and colors, that person who uses weird pronouns, that guy who took your parking spot, the lady who was gossiping about you at work…every other living being is a creation of God, and by loving them (whether we agree with them or not), we honor God.  
  5. Do you want to find Jesus?  He’s probably in the parking lot at Walmart, and he’s probably hungry.  Go buy him a sandwich. (Matt 25:40).  Or maybe he’s lonely, in a nursing home, and wants a visit. Or maybe he’s doing time in prison and needs to talk.  Or maybe, he’s a lonely widow who can’t mow their own lawn because they’re feeble.  Maybe he just needs a ride.  Go find him.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS:

  1. What are your idols?
  2. How can you do better at “setting yourself apart”?
  3. What is your biggest obstacle to living a righteous life?  How can you change that?
  4. Do you trust God more than yourself?  Why, or why not?

PRAYER:

Father God, you have been faithful and kind to me throughout my entire life.  Thank you.  Please help me to focus on you, to remove the things that distract my focus, and to live a life that pleases you.  Help me to be a servant who pleases his master.  Lord, look deep in my heart and show me my flaws, and help me to remove them so that I can love you fully.  Thank you for sending us your son.  Please forgive me of my flaws, and lead me to You, in Jesus name, amen.

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God’s Character

 Exodus 23-24

Psalm 3

Matthew 17

Devotion by Jeremy Martin (TN)

What a powerful moment in history.  God has redeemed and claimed His chosen people the Israelites, and is laying down a few ground rules for their behavior towards Him and towards each other.  The 10 commandments have just been given a few chapters back, and Ex 23 begins with a continuation of some guidelines for interaction.  Read through these carefully, do you see a common theme?  These rules that God is giving really highlight His character.  When I read through these (Ex 23:1-19) what stands out to me isn’t that God wants a bunch of rules followed, but that the character of God is shining through.  Look closely.

God is just.  God is merciful.  God is forgiving.  God is loving.  God wants us to respect each other, and Him.  God will punish the guilty.  These characteristics are easily seen by the rules he asks us to follow.  When I read these verses, 23:19 really stands out to me: “You shall not boil a young goat in the milk of his mother.”.  Why?  Because that would be unjust, and not fair.  God is so full of love for all of his creation, that he’s concerned with even a baby goat, and is concerned about justice for it.  Which makes sense, when you consider that the earth and all that is in it belong to God (Ps 24:1), and you consider the beauty of God’s character.

If we turn ahead a few chapters to Ex 34, God actually tells Moses (1) who He is and (2) what His character is like.  This is one of my dad’s favorite verses: “…Yahweh, Yahweh God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in loving-kindness (or, mercy) and truth; who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression, and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished…” (LSB translation, Ex 34: 6-7).  All of the “Children of the Book” agree on the nature of God, because He has revealed it to us.  In the Quran 1:3 it describes God as “Most Gracious, Most Merciful.” (a loving nod to some of our Muslim brothers and sisters).  I urge us all, let us exhibit God’s characteristics within ourselves, not only to our creator but to our fellow creation.

In Ex 23:20-23 we once again clearly see the concept of “shaliah” demonstrated, and it’s important to note that God actually clearly states “My name is in him”, granting the angel full authority.  I suppose the American equivalent would be “active Power of Attorney”, but that doesn’t quite cover the fullness of the concept.  We also see Jesus stating clearly in John 17:11 that he has been given this same name, the name of God, so he is acting with the full authority of the God who sent him.  If you’d like a more detailed understanding of “shaliah” you can scroll back to the 1/27/2026 devotional, or just ask a jewish person.

In Ex 24, God cuts a covenant with Israel.  The phrase “cuts a covenant” was at the time quite literal and involved animal sacrifice and blood, and was considered a binding promise.  In this chapter we see a beautiful moment where God speaks to a large number  of the priests and elders of Israel and makes a deal with them.  In Ex 24:7 it states “Then he took the book of the covenant and read it in the hearing of the people; and they said, “all that Yahweh has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient!”” (LSB translation).  Can you just feel the excited vibe amongst these people, who have witnessed an amazing and miraculous covenenat being formed, with the glory of Yahweh “like a consuming fire on the mountain top, in the eyes of the sons of Israel”?

What an amazing event!  Never before had something like THIS happened, this was huge!  This is what would be described by most folks as a life altering event, something that would change your outlook and destiny, something that would inspire you for a lifetime and change the very fiber of your being for the better. How long do you think something like this would stick in your memory? 

40 days, that’s the answer.  Moses disappears up the mountain, into the fiery glory of God and is gone for 40 days and nights before it all goes bad.  While God and Moses are chatting, the sons of Israel are getting restless.  Despite seeing miraculous signs and wonders, if you flip ahead to Ex 32: 1-2 it says “Then the people saw that Moses had delayed to come down from the mountain.  So the people assembled about Aaron and said to him, “arise, make us gods who will go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.” (LSB translation).  Forty days.  It’s just embarrasing.  It’s really a good thing that God is so forgiving and merciful, because that could very easily have been turned into what the scientific minded folk would call an “Extinction Level Event” for the Israelites.

God not only doesn’t wipe them out, but He continues to shelter them, to love them, and to keep them safe and fulfill the promises he’d made both to them and to their ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  WHY? Because God always keeps His promises. Because he is the Most Merciful, the Most Gracious.

Do you need further proof?  Flip over to our NT reading today.  In Matt 17:5 God states audibly (for the second time) “This is my beloved son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him!” (LSB Translation).  Then later on, he offers up this man Jesus, His own beloved obedient son, as a sacrifice to grant redemption to humanity and to cut a covenant of salvation.  Folks, let me tell you something; I’m a father, and although I absolutely do love a lot of you people out there that I know, if it came to a choice between you and my son…well, let’s just say you would not come out ahead in the equation, I’m sorry.  “But God…” (I love that phrase) is the perfection of character, the perfection of love, the highest example of what our own character should be.  

What a beautiful God we serve.  I know that He is beautiful, because His creation is beautiful.  The mist as it gathers at the tops of the mountains is beautiful.  The sun arising through the clouds and shedding new light on the world every day is beautiful.  YOU are beautiful, as is the entirety of the creation of God, and the voice that spoke all of this creation into being.  It should humble and awe you, when you think about the utter depth of the love that God has towards all of His creation.  We do not deserve it… “but God…” is the most compassionate, the most merciful, praise His holy name.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS:

  1. Stop for a moment and think.  How many times has God done something amazing and miraculous in your life?
  2. How long did it take after that amazing and miraculous thing that God did for you before you “moved on” in your mind?
  3. Why do you think that we, as humans, have this inclination, and what can we do better to hold on to that “awe and wonder” that is rightfully due our God?
  4. Are WE gracious, compassionate, and merciful to our fellow creation? (Answer for all:) What about people of different denominations? Different cultures? Different faiths?  Our “enemies”?  Why, or why not?  What can we do better?

PRAYER:

Father God, thank you.  

You are the Most gracious, the Most merciful.  Time and time again we have disappointed and failed You, we’ve broken the covenants that we’ve made with You, but You forgive us over and over.  Father, help us to have Your character, to love our neighbor as ourself, and to never forget You who gave us life, breath, and all things.  Thank You for Your never ending mercies, which are made new every morning.  Help us to humbly seek Your face, to obey Your will, and to be servants who please You.  Thank you Yahoveh God, in Jesus name, Amen.

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God’s Mighty and Miraculous Hand

Exodus 21-22

Psalm 3

Matthew 17

Devotion by Jeremy Martin (TN)

            I want you to know that my parents are amazing, wonderful, spirit-filled, and God-led people, who have strove their entire lives to live in a manner pleasing to God, and to instill in me that same holiness and humility.  That being said, I want you to know that I was a truly terrible person, rebellious and narcissistic, and largely ignoring everything they said until God grabbed me and my attention.  Today as a devotion, I am going to give you just a small portion of my personal testimony.  This will be the “highly edited” version and summarization, but please know that I was a truly terrible person, despite my awesome parents, and my awesome God.  As a spoiler alert, know also that God saved me with a mighty and miraculous hand.

Psalms 3:1-2 (LSB): “O Yahweh, how my adversaries have become many!  Many are rising up against me.  Many are saying of my soul, “There is no salvation for him in God.””

            When I was between the ages of 18-25 I was basically a career criminal, and that is far more a reflection of my own stupidity than my parents efforts.  I found that the easy way was…well…easier, so I took it.  Then I kept on taking it.  I was doing lots of drugs, and drinking too much, and doing things I shouldn’t.  Mom and Dad could see that I was drifting away and prayed for me constantly, which is likely why I am alive.  I became involved with bad people, doing bad things, for bad reasons.  Then as I moved deeper into those circles, I became privvy to  information that I shouldn’t have, and as a result I found myself in mortal peril.  Those people I’d thought of as my friends began to seek my life.  Things got dark and ugly.  People that I knew and loved died.  It was a hot mess, and in a moment of desperation I called Mom and Dad.

Psalms 3: 3-4 (LSB): “But You, O Yahweh, are a shield about me.  My glory, and the One who lifts my head.  I was calling to Yahweh with my voice, and He answered me from his holy mountain.”

            Miraculously quickly, my parents sent me a plane ticket in another young man’s name, who had just cancelled a trip but not the ticket yet.  This was before 9/11 so you could get away with those types of shenanigans.  I escaped and moved in with them in Atlanta, where dad was teaching at the Atlanta Bible College.  I was expecting to die at any moment, and so I threw myself wholeheartedly into scripture, looking for God to save me, which He did.  I was the only kid in history, to my knowledge, to go to the Atlanta Bible College with a mohawk (but nicely done up in a pony tail, usually).  I met some great people there, TRUE friends, who loved God and lived in a manner that was pleasing to Him.  I immediately stopped doing all of the bad things I’d been doing, and started to study up on scriptures.  I was really trying to seek God.

            When you’ve lived immersed in a sewer for a long time, though, it’s hard to keep yourself from stinking.  When I took up a professional (legitimate) career, I started to get puffed up with myself, and some of the bad habits I’d had started to look appealing to me again.  Does this sound familiar, from the stories in Exodus?  Even though I’d been miraculously saved, from overwhelming odds and contrary to all worldly sense, I soon began to do some of the things that I had before: namely drinking and smoking various things in my case.  The issue was not what I was doing, necessarily, but that in my heart I had determined that I could decide, not God but me.  I began to be what I call a CINO, a Christian in Name Only.  I was living for myself, seeking advantage for myself, taking care of myself…but I’d still check all the boxes to be considered a “Christian”.

            I’d still go to church (check), still pray before meals (check), sing when I was at church (check), and had a bible at the house (check)…but I forgot in my heart about the God who had saved me miraculously and without my deserving to be saved, and started trying to make my own decisions again, instead of listening to God.

Psalms 3:5 (LSB): “Then I lay down and slept: I awoke, for Yahweh sustains me.” 

            Then, on Feb 14, 2022, I died.  I’m not saying this metaphorically, I am saying I died, for a bit over 5 minutes.  Specifically, I had a widowmaker heart attack with a 100% blockage (“Wot? I got better!”-Monty Python). In retrospect, this was God tapping me on the shoulder to remind me.  Any sane person would have recognized it for what it was, but me?  Nope: I got up, kept checking the boxes, and kept on being stupid.

Psalms 3:8 (LSB): “Salvation belongs to Yahweh…“

            About a year later, my dad went blind.  Now, I knew I wasn’t a good guy…but my dad, my dad was a righteous man, who had tried his entire life to live in a manner pleasing to God, with better succcess in this endeavor than most men.  Not perfect, by any means, but he REALLY TRIED.  It affected me in a way that my own death did not.  I got on my hands and knees and started praying and fasting, asking God to heal dad.  About 3 days into a hard fast, I realized through scripture that God would not listen to the prayers of an unrighteous man, so I began to systematically get rid of everything in my life that led to unrighteousness.  I burned the things keeping me from God in a fire, and said I was sorry.  Then I kept fasting, and praying.  I talked to God a lot.  A while later, He started talking back.

            So now it’s been almost 2 years since I’ve fully submitted myself to God’s will.  I’m almost 58 now, but some fools are just slow learners.  There have been hills and valleys in my walk, but God has taken me by the hand and leads me.  Why?  I don’t know, I absolutely don’t deserve it, probably because my parents never stopped praying for me.  I have seen miracles.  God has spoken to me.  Crazy things have happened, too many to detail to you without you thinking I was absolutely insane.  So many miracles that I started keeping a journal.  I’m not talking about “oh, it was a miracle that I got that job” miracles, I’m talking about “oh look, the Red Sea just parted so we could go through” miracles. 

Jeremiah 29:13 says “You will seek me and find me when you search with your whole heart.”  Let me just tell you this with absolute sincerity and conviction: God absolutely exists and He still intercedes miraculously for those who seek Him with their whole heart.  This is not a knowledge attained from books, this is an experiential knowledge that I am sharing with you, with 100% conviction.  My dad is still blind, but God is opening up other things for him (and me) that we wouldn’t have suspected or expected.  I live in a state of awe and wonder.  I am humbled and amazed that God would seek me out, of all the terrible sheep who have gone astray…but He did.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS:

  1. Have you ever made a conscious decision to do something different than you knew God wanted you to do?  If so, why, and how did that work out?
  2. Has God ever saved you?  Was it miraculously?  Are you sure?
  3. Have you ever tried completely submitting yourself to God, to praying and fasting intently, to speaking to Him almost every moment in awe and worship and love?  If you did, did you witness miracles too?  If you haven’t tried yet, why not?

PRAYER:

Lord God, Father, I have failed you more times than I can count, but you have been kind and faithful to me despite my foolishness.  Please God, forgive me!  Help me to be the servant who pleases you.  Teach me your ways, and circumcise my heart.  Whisper to me the way in which I should go, and lead me by the hand.  May the lips of all your creation offer you the praise you deserve, thank you God!  In Jesus name, Amen.

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House Rules

Exodus 19-20

Psalm 2

Matthew 16

Devotion by Jeremy Martin (TN)

In today’s reading, we find our heroes the Israelites 3 months out from escaping horribly oppressive slavery in Egypt and after being led through the harsh desert miraculously arriving safely at Mt Sinai.  This is the first time in recorded history that anything like this had ever happened: God has redeemed His chosen people en masse and brought them to Him.  This is a direct act of intercession from the hand of a loving God, because He had made promises and covenants with Abraham, and God always keeps His promises.  Always, every time, and forever, God keeps His promises.  If you remember nothing else from this devotion, remember that.

God tells Moses (Ex 19:4-6): “You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I lifted you up on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself...”(LSB).  That is just beautiful.  Pay special attention to 19:5, wherein God clearly states “…for all the earth is mine…” (See also Psalm 24:1).  What beautiful imagery!  You really need to imagine the setting of Ex. 19; there are most likely millions of people waiting expectantly at the base of the mountain, who all answer together “All that Yahweh has spoken we will do!”, after which God gives them very specific instructions to purify themselves, and then much like to Lt. Dan in the movie Forrest Gump, “…right then God showed up.”  Never before had anything like this happened that we are aware of, God speaks to an entire people and gives them the “House Rules”.

This may shock some of you, but I was a rather rebellious child.  I remember that the day I turned 18, I thought I had complete autonomy and authority because now I was an adult, and nobody could tell me what to do.  Keep in mind that at the time, being a ripe 18 years of age, I already knew everything (most of which I have sadly since forgotten), so I was pretty certain I could just do anything I wanted.  I made the mistake of mentioning this to my father at the time to justify a series of extremely poor decisions on my part, in what became a rather fervent discussion.   In retrospect, perhaps I was not as smart as I thought I was.

Keep in mind that all of this took place while I was staying rent free in my parents house, the one they’d paid for, paid the bills for monthly, and stocked up with food for my consumption on a regular basis, without any contributions at all from me (aside from my stunning insights and wisdom about my own autonomy, of course).  My parents at the time were also paying all of my bills, feeding me regularly, buying me clothes, had bought me a car, etc.  So, you know, I was an adult taking care of myself… *ahem* .  During this highly needed and educational discussion, my father made the statement “Well, you can absolutely make your own decisions since you’re technically an adult now, but as long as you’re living in my house, you will abide by my rules.” 

The conversation that God has with the Israelites in Exodus 20 really strongly reminds me of that conversation, without the fervency perhaps, but with more clarity.  Note that God has already defined “My house” in Ex 19:5, so when God is giving us the 10 commandments in Ex. 20 He is basically telling us “when you are living in my house, this is how I expect you to behave,” in advance.  

“But…” some folks will say, “these commands were given to the Israelites, they don’t apply to us today as Christians..”.  Fair enough, let’s look at what Jesus says about them.  Turn over to Matt 19:16-29.  In this passage, Jesus first humbly points out that the man shouldn’t call him good because only God is good (which is a bit confusing if you’ve accepted a confusing post-biblical theory about Jesus’ identity), and then states very clearly “…if you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.” (LSB).  Then he goes on to refer to some of the actual commandments, so we know what he’s referring to: it’s right here in Ex 20.

So are we as Christians responsible to keep the commandments?  Only if we listen to our Christ, I would say.  If you are an adult now, and no one can tell you what to do, and you have full authority and autonomy over your own life, well…you probably, like me at 18, already know everything and you don’t have to listen to anyone, ever (if you didn’t dectect the irony and sarcasm there, read it again slowly).  

If, however, you are a humble Christian, seeking to please both Jesus and his God (yes, Jesus has a God, see John 20:17) then you may want to rethink that.  You are, after all, living in God’s house.  You should probably abide by His rules;  particularly if you want a room in the kingdom, on the new earth that has been promised (and God always keeps His promises).  Trust me when I tell you, you do NOT want to get kicked out of His house.

I love how God clearly identifies himself to his people, this has been grossly altered in most modern bibles, but what God actually says to preface his commandments is; “I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt...” (Ex 20:2, LSB).  So we know exactly who’s talking.  Then he lists his expectations while we’re living in His house.  The first 4 commandments have to do with us and our interactions towards God.  The next 6 commandments have to do with us and our interactions towards our fellow man(kind).  These are all neatly summed up by our king, the Christ,  in Mark 12:29-34 when Jesus says that the greatest commandment is “Hear O Israel!  The LORD our God is one LORD, and you shall love The LORD your God with all your heart…”, and the second is this, “you shall love your neighbor as yourself.”  Please note that this does not REPLACE the original commandments given by God, but summarizes them nicely.  

Praise God that we serve a God of clarity and not confusion, He tells us His expectations right up front, and then lets us make our own decisions about whether or not we will listen and obey.  We serve a wonderful, powerful, and amazing God who has shown that He will intercede on behalf of His people in miraculous and powerful ways throughout the scriptures, which cannot be broken.  The only real question is: are we going to listen and obey and thereby be God’s People?  Choose now for yourself, but as for me and my household, we will serve Yahweh the living God, who has sent us our Christ in order to bring us to Himself.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS:

  1. Do you keep all of the commandments?  Why, or why not?
  2. Read Gen 2:3.Do you believe the 4th commandment (the Sabbath) is just for the Jews? Why, or why not?  When did it change, if it did?
  3. When Jesus summarized the commandments in Mark 12, did it seem like commandment keeping alone was sufficient to enter the future Kingdom of God, or was there something else we should do?  Summarize in your own words what else we should do, if you feel like there’s something else.

PRAYER:

Father God, you have created us and this place, and all things belong to you.  Thank you for giving us life, and breath, and all things.  You are beautiful.  Every blessing that we have has come directly from your hand to us, an undeserving and rebellious people.  Please forgive us, and teach us, and help us to follow your commandments.  Lead us toward your kingdom, Father, and help us to enter into it.  In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

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The Anointed One: The Son of Man

Exodus 17-18

Psalm 2

Matthew 16

Devotion by Jeremy Martin (TN)

In our Exodus reading this morning, we see once again that after a string of miracles and rescues, the Israelites are grumbling; to the point that Moses tells God he’s worried about them stoning him (17:4).  God miraculously provides yet again for their provision, and then miraculously provides for their safety and security (17:11-13).  Then, some of the in-laws decide to stop by for a visit (18).

Moses’ father-in-law Jethro comes to visit and sees an overwhelmed Moses, struggling from sunup to sundown daily taking care of the (very demanding) people he was leading.  Keep in mind, this was not a small group, this was likely millions of people (Ex 12:37-38 “600,000 men, not counting the little ones (or women), and a foreign multitude also”) all clamoring for his attention at once.  Can you even imagine the chaos? Jethro gives Moses some VERY good advice (18: 17-23) that applies to us today as well: organize and prioritize if you want to get results, delegate if you have to.  I think we too many times take on more than we can reasonably accomplish, and don’t have a good plan to do it, and just end up getting frustrated and upset.  Many times we just give up because we feel overwhelmed.  But couldn’t we take Jethro’s advice, and plan better?  If we organize ourselves, and approach our problems systematically, they become less overwhelming.  This applies to every aspect of our lives: work, social, spiritual.  We could actually have written the entire devotional on just this bit alone, but there are some other VERY important scriptures in today’s reading.

Moving on to our second portion of scripture today (Ps 2), we see some absolutely critical theological points that need to be highlighted (in your bible) and remembered .  Do you remember what “Christ” or “Messiah” means?  It ‘s a title, and means (literally) “The Anointed”.  It represented a man who was chosen and anointed by God (usually through his agent, or “shaliah”…see Jan 27 devotional) to be his king, it’s all throughout the Old Testament, check and see.  The  Hebrew “Messiah” (or “Christos” in greek) means simply “the anointed one” and the term came to be one of prophetic expectation waiting for God to send his king to rule the earth (See 2nd Samuel 7 for the details of the prophecy, we’ll get deeper into that one in a later devotional).    The New Testament continuously states that Jesus of Nazareth was this man anointed by God to be His king on earth by reiterating it over and over when describing him as “Jesus Christ”.  That’s not his last name ya’ll, that’s a title (I’m Southern, I’m allowed to say “ya’ll”, it’s culturally appropriate).  Most of the gospels directly state that the purpose for their writing was to show that Jesus was that Messiah, and that he had come, in their thesis statements.

In Psalm 2:2 it says “The kings of the earth take their stand, and the rulers take counsel together, against Yahweh and against his Anointed, saying…” (LSB Translation).  We see clearly here that there are 2 individuals that the kings and rulers are taking a stand against.  This does not match up with what some mainstream orthodoxy teachings relate, but this is stated explicitly and repeatedly in scripture and we know from Jesus that “scripture cannot be broken”.  This is one of the many reasons why it is so absolutely critical to study for yourself, and not rely on people to tell you what you should believe.  Men are just human, and can fail, but scripture cannot be broken(John 10:35), so read it for yourself (and show your work).  Be a good Berean, and test everything that you hear against the scriptures.  Our God is a God of truth and not deception, so if something you are hearing from men confuses you, study scriptures!  If you can read Deut 6:4 and Mark 12:29-34 and not be fiercely monotheistic, like the ancient Jews, then you have learned mental gymnastics worthy of an olympic level athlete…but why change it?  Man was made simple, his complex problems are of his own devising (Ecc 7:29).

Ps 2: 11-12 states “Serve Yahweh with fear and rejoice with trembling.  Kiss the Son, lest He become angry, and you perish in the way…”(LSB), another clear delineation between our creator and our king.  It is terrible and sad that we have confused this simple message through the centuries, whenever possible I suggest we should with love, patience, and respect suggest the simpler reading to our brothers and sisters who have reached a different, more “complex”, understanding.  In instances that opportunities present themselves for you to do this, may I humbly suggest that “love” is far more important for you to convey than truth.  The truth will come in time, if presented deeply with love, according to God’s will.

To wrap this up in a nice tidy bow, we can then turn over to Matt 16, where one of the clearest statements of Jesus identity is made by his guy, Peter.  First let me pose you this question, what is a son of man?  I would respectfully answer this with the very common sensical answer of “a man”. What if you capitalized that, and said a Son of Man?  Well, I’d have to say, still a man: although this does have prophetic overtones (See Daniel 7, and note again the clear delineation between God and his anointed).  Did you know that in addition to God using his name (YHVH) almost 7000 times in the Old Testament, Jesus is referred to as the “son of man” (add capitilization however you like, the NT translators did…)  81 times, and 80 of those times were by Jesus himself in the gospels.  A “son of man” was how Jesus self-identified.  It’s pretty important to remember that.

In a conversation about identity, Jesus asks Peter who people were saying that he was (Matt 16: 13-14). To further clarify who he was, Jesus asked Peter “but who do you say that I am?”.  Peter replies, “You are the Christ, the son of the Living God.”  Remember that Christ and Messiah mean the same thing, anointed one.  I would like to point out the obvious at this point and say that God has no need to anoint himself.  By his statement Peter is clearly stating “You are the one that was anointed by God, and the son of the Living God”.  This is in a direct fulfillment of the prophecy in 2 Sam: 7 wherein the Messiah MUST BE: 1-the son of David (a human descendant of King David), 2-the son of God, 3-the king who will rule forever.  Note Jesus response to this answer in v17: “Blessed are you Simon Bar-Jonah, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but my Father who is in heaven” (LSB).  If Peter was mistaken about Jesus’ identity as the Christ, this would have been an excellent opportunity for Jesus to correct him don’t you think?  Just some things to think about, may God bless you as you study his word.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS:

  1. What can you change in your approach, like Jethro suggested to Moses, to more effectively govern your own life? Your own work? Your own spirituality?
  2. When Jesus says that scripture cannot be broken, he is referring to the scripture they had at the time, the Old Testament.  How often do you take time to “stand by the ancient ways” and read the Old Testament deeply? Why?
  3. Do you check everything the pastor tells you from the pulpit against scripture?  Why, or why not?  Now think of the same question, but instead of your pastor insert “anyone”, and instead of the pulpit insert “youtube”, “social media”, or “friends”.  Is your answer different?  Why, or why not?
  4. Who do you say that Jesus is?  Is it different than Peter, and if so, why?

PRAYER:

Lord God Most High, please open my eyes so that I can see clearly.  Please open my ears so that I can hear clearly.  Circumcise my heart, so that I can walk humbly before you.  Thank you for sending your son with your words to teach and redeem us all, please help us to listen and to obey.   Forgive us our pride, and grant us humility and understanding.  Thank you, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

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