Tag: Jesus

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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An Obedient Servant

*Esther 3-4

*Psalm 91

*Hebrews 2

-devotion by Jeremy Martin (TN)

                        I love the story of Esther, because without her obedience and willingness to sacrifice herself if needed, a pretty horrible pre-Holocaust destruction of the Jews would have taken place.  While it’s hard for me to imagine it being on the same scale of intentional diabolical evil that occurred in World War II, I suppose if you are one of the ones that’s being murdered you’re far less concerned with intent than action. 

            In Esther 3 today, we see that the King (Ahasuerus) “magnified Haman” and advanced him, “above all the princes who were with him” (v1), to the point that the king had commanded folks to bow to him (v2).  It’s not really clear in scripture why Haman was advanced, but Haman was promoted to (presumably) the second highest level of authority in the kingdom, and was enraged when Mordecai the Jew wouldn’t offer him obeisance.  Read Esther 3:5-6 and see how Haman’s pride caused him to feel/act: then take a moment to flip back to 2 Sam 16:5-14 to see how David (the king) responded to an even greater insult.  Ponder them both in your hearts for a moment: their level of pride, their reactions, and then their fates.  It’s good food for thought.

            Something that I had kind of read past when I was younger jumped out at me when I was reading this morning, in 3:7 we see that Haman, after becoming enraged at Mordeai, had lots cast (cleromancy)  for almost a full year before acting on his rage with his plans to commit genocide on the Jews.  Haman is a man who acts on his impulses, but absolutely does not act impulsively: he festered on his rage for almost a year before approaching the king to begin his attempt against the Jews, and sought supernatural guidance to find the best time to begin.  Haman offers the king 10000 talents (a talent was @75 lbs!) of silver, but the king said “the silver is given to you” and handed Haman his signet ring (effectively giving him full authority and funding) to sign his petition in to law.  Decrees were issued, messengers were sent out, and the king and Haman settled in to drink, but the “city of Susa was in confusion”.  The regular citizens, in other words, had no idea why this was happening.  (This is all detailed in Esther 3:7-15).           

            When Mordecai hears of this, he informs Esther  that she must act.  Initially she is hesitant to do so since there is a distinct possibility that she’ll be killed (Esther 4:1-12).  Mordecai’s response to this in 4:13 gives us a critical understanding: “For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, and you and your father’s house will perish.  And who knows whether you have not reached royalty for such a time as this?“(LSB).  So here’s the thing: God has a plan.  We see throughout scripture that God interacts with his creation through his agents (shaliach) to further His plans and purposes, and many times He has placed a person in just the right place at just the right time to fulfill His purpose.  What do you think happens to those agents who allow fear to prevent them from doing Gods purpose? (Hint: see bold text above). Think about it for a moment: God will ensure His purposes, whether or not you choose to participate obediently determines whether you are rewarded richly or die unknown in disgrace.

            Keep this understanding in mind, while we move forward in time to when God sent Jesus as His obedient agent of salvation for the world.  In the book of Matthew, directly after being baptized, Jesus is led (by the holy spirit) into the wilderness and fasts for 40 days and nights,  after which The Adversary approaches him and tempts him: first with food (pretty obvious), then with a confirmation of authority (subtle and insidious), and then with a blatant offer of power (a last desperate attempt).  So what if Jesus had responded differently or disobediently, with arrogance instead of firm humility? Think about it.  If Jesus had not been obedient, it might be someone else’s name we all recognized today.

            A couple very important things to be noted: God cannot be tempted (James 1:13).  Even if you have a confused understanding about your Christology this should be a giant waving red flag to a “traditional  orthodox” understanding, regardless of “nature”,  because God cannot be tempted irregardless of how you try to rationalize or justify that.  Secondly, we know firsthand that our adversary is insidious and clever, hitting us at our weakest points.  In Matt 3:17, God says “This is my beloved son…” after Jesus obediently gets baptized.  In Matt 4:3, the tempter said “IF you are the son of God…” turn these stones into bread, and Jesus responds with scripture (Dt 8:3).  Then he took Jesus to the pinnacle of the temple and said “IF you are the son of God…” throw yourself down, and quotes today’s reading of Psalms 91 (v11-12).  Jesus responds by quoting scripture back (Dt 6:16).  You know the story, probably so well that you’ve not dug into it too deeply.

            Here’s the thing, and why this is so insidious: in each of these instances above, the tempter is trying to plant a seed of doubt:  “IF you are the son of God…IF you are…” (“Are you really?  Are you sure?  We haven’t seen any miracles yet…how do you know?  Maybe this could show me and the world that you really are, prove yourself, let people see, won’t that be awesome?  Are you the messiah, do you really think so?  Are you really?  SHOW US…prove it to us and to yourself…”).  This is downright diabolical.  This is why it’s just so humbling and beautiful that Jesus remained faithful, because he overcame all of these diabolical temptations, these targeted attacks on him.

            “Weeell, he wasn’t really tempted…” I’ve heard some folks say, but YES, HE WAS!  In each of the points of potential weakness that the shrewdest adversary that exists thought he could penetrate.  Have you ever not eaten for a couple days?  Try it.  You start fantasizing about what foods you will eat when you eat again.  This is a pretty obvious first stab.  The second attempt (“throw yourself down…IF you are the son of God you’ll be fine…”) is the most insidious one, in my opinion, because as humans we are always just filled with doubt.  “Are you really the son of God?  Really? Prove it…” Imagine as a man that you believe that you have a God-given destiny, that you are to be the one to redeem not only Israel but all of the earth: but you’ve been out by yourself for over a month and haven’t eaten, you’re starving and beginning to wonder, and here is the opportunity to prove not only to your enemy but to yourself that you really are the chosen one, the Christ, the Anointed One.  You can prove it.  Are you tempted?  Of course you are.

            Thank God that Jesus overcame.  In our reading today of Hebrews 2:16-18 it confirms that Jesus was the seed of Abraham (A Jew, fulfilling the prophecy in Dt 18:18), that he was our brother (A human being, fulfilling the prophecy of Gen 3:15 and Ps 89:19), and that he himself was tempted (which God Himself can’t be, see James 1:13 again for clarification) so that he is able to come to help those who are tempted (ie, us, the other humans).  As our brother, Jesus is our role model of obedience and humble submission to God’s will. We can do it, because Jesus did.  We are called to be obedient and to submit just like Jesus did, just like Esther did, because if we don’t God will just raise up someone else in our place: His purpose will be fulfilled, whether you participate or not.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS:

  1. Do you think you’d have ever heard about Esther, if she’d chosen to be safe instead of obedient?
  2. Same question, but with Jesus?
  3. Can you think of a time in your past where you had a choice but were scared?  What happened?  Do you feel as if you passed or failed that test, and why?

PRAYER

Father God, thank you for life, and breath, and all things.  Help me to be humble and obedient, even as the Christ was, and even to the point of death.  Allow me the honor of fulfilling the purpose that You have determined for me in this life, even unto death, and allow me to see Your kingdom.  May the lips of all creation offer You the praise deserved.  In Jesus name, Amen.

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Good Works

*Nehemiah 9-10

Psalm 90

*Titus 3

-Devotion by Jeremy Martin (TN)

            The restoration of a people is a beautiful thing.  When the (1st) temple was destroyed in @587/586 BC and the people were taken captive and led off to Babylonia as a result of their sins, they languished there for 70 years.  The return happened in waves: Zerubbabel went to start rebuilding the Temple (@538BC), Ezra went later and restored the law (@458BC), and then Nehemiah returned (@445BC) and rebuilt the wall, the infrastructure, and finished restoring the law to Israel (with Ezra).  Tying prophecy to history is sometimes confusing and can be very subjective depending on your interpretation and understanding.  One of the things that confused me initially is that the Jewish year has 360 days in it, our calendars today have 365 days in it.  Over time that can skew calculations, but keep in mind that the OT prophecies (as most scriptures) were written for ancient Jews.   That’s important to keep in mind, particularly to keep a correct context and exegesis when interpreting scripture: the target audience was (at least initially) the Hebrews, God’s chosen people.

            The ancient Jewish understanding of God is very clear in this exceptionally beautiful prayer of repentance by the people in Nehemiah 9.  To help give yourself that same understanding, I highly recommend that if you have a bible that translates the name of God as “THE LORD” (all capital letters), highlight that every time you come across it.  Then, somewhere on that same page write a note “YHVH”, the sacred and holy personal name of God, and highlight that.  Note that this will not be a quick task, because the personal given name of God occurs about 7000 times in the Old Testament, more if you count the abbreviated “Yah” or compound titles like “YHVH Tzevaot”.  The correct pronunciation of this is debated (The V is thought to be pronounced like a W in ancient Hebrew), but the important thing to remind yourself every time you come across it is that this is a personal name, not a title, and it’s the name God asked to be identified by (in Ex 3:15) “forever”.

            Chapter 9, v1-3 gives a very, very important description of how the people approached God, one that we should take to heart when we’ve transgressed and are seeking to return to His favor: humble yourself .  These folks fasted, humbled themselves, and confessed their sins.  They called upon God by name (v5) and blessed the name of God.  Then they pronounced this critical statement of faith that was central to the entire faith of all Jews: “You alone are Yahweh“, and followed with a list of accomplishments and deeds that God had done (v6-15).  They continue on and confess their sins (v16-31), and then while acknowledging their own guilt and the righteousness of God in punishing them for it, they ask for mercy (v32-37), and ask to enter again into a covenant with God (v 38, and then all of the specifics of the covenant are listed in Chapter 10 in it’s entirety).

            In Nehemiah c9v27 about 3/4 down the verse it says: “You gave them saviors, and they (the saviors) saved them (the Israelites).” (LSB translation).  So, who sent them saviors?  God did, we see throughout scriptures that God interacts with His creation through agents, but that even though the agent may have physically performed the task, it was God who caused it.  So who saved them? God did, again, because He sent the saviors (the judges, in this instance).  Even today, we understand that if a subordinate performs an action on behalf of their superior’s direct orders, it was actually the superior that caused the action to occur.  The Jewish folks have a legal term for this, called “shaliah” (see 1/27/26 devotion).  It’s critical to understand this concept in order not to misinterpret or misunderstand scripture.

            Here’s a good example of why: in Titus 3:4 it says “4 But when the kindness and benevolence of God our Savior appeared,” (REV) , and then down a little bit further in Titus 3:5-6 it says, “5 he saved us, not because of righteous works that we ourselves did, but on the basis of his mercy, through the washing of a new beginning and renewal by the holy spirit, 6 which he richly poured out on us through Jesus Christ our Savior” (**Note that I’d originally had the LSB pulled up, but switched to the REV for this quote because the LSB evangelical bias was showing pretty strongly: holy spirit had been capitalized, and “which” had been incorrectly translated as “whom”, attempting to nudge the readers in a specific direction of interpretation.).  In the above comparison, we see that God is stated as being our savior, and then Jesus is stated as being our savior.  Does that point to a hidden “complex” understanding of God then? 

            Certainly not.  We understand that when God sends an agent, the credit for the actions of that agent are reflected to God, since God sent them.  While we can absolutely say that Jesus (the) Christ is our Savior due to his obedient submission and sacrifice, we can also absolutely say that God is our Savior because He sent Jesus.  God initiated the action, Jesus performed the action.  Jesus himself explains this to us, saying that God sent him about 30 times in the book of John alone.  This is very clearly explained throughout scripture.  I sometimes find myself getting a bit passionate about this very simple scriptural understanding, particularly when later traditions are presented to me as biblical truths, and particularly in a “church” environment.  That can be dangerous, though.

            That same passion is probably exactly what allowed men’s hearts to be corrupted, and to torture and murder fellow believers, when they believed differently.  We see in Titus 3:8 that: “those who have put their trust in God will apply themselves to good works” and in Titus 3:9 that we should “avoid foolish speculations and genealogies and strife and fighting about the law, because they are unprofitable and pointless.”.  Our focus should be on doing good works.  We’re just humans.  Regardless of what you believe, how are you acting on that belief?  This scripture tells us that we should be more concerned about performing good works in God’s name.  I absolutely believe that scriptural truths are important, but I also don’t want to be the most correct theologically understanding guy that didn’t make it into the kingdom because I didn’t act with love towards my fellow creation.                      

            So what is the perfect balance?  It’s tricky.  We see from scripture that our priority should be to trust in God, and to focus on performing good deeds to the glory of God.  That being said, it’s also important to understand scripture properly, because “God seeks those who worship Him in spirit and truth” (John 4:23-24), and I believe it’s a very good thing to share our understanding: provided we can do it in love.  Humbly, gently, with overwhelming concern and patience, and considering others to be greater than ourselves: but also firmly, and unwaveringly, using the scripture as our foundation.  Pray to God, and He will grant you wisdom.  In the meantime, if you’re not sure on how to proceed, focusing on good works will show where your heart is to those around you.  It will take time, patience, love, and God’s wisdom to affect any changes in understanding that are deep and meaningful.  Be a light to the world around you, don’t beat up the world around you with your light, but let it shine.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS:

  1. Have you put your trust in God, or are you still trying to run things your way?
  2. What good works have you done this week?
  3. Do you plan your good works, or just wait for opportunities? Why?
  4. Which is more important to you: a correct understanding of scripture, or the correct implementation of the scriptures you understand?  Why?

PRAYER

Father God, grant me the heart to do Your will here on the earth, in a manner that pleases You.  Help me to love as deeply as You’ve loved us, and to share my faith in a manner which honors and pleases You.  Help me to be humble, and to follow Jesus’ example.  In Jesus name, Amen.

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Truth that Leads to Godliness

Nehemiah 5-6

Psalm 89

Titus 1

-Devotion by Talon Paul (IN)

Did you know that there are over 40,000 denominations of Christianity across the world? Although most of them have the same 66 books in their Bibles, they have come up with some very different interpretations on many topics. In the Church of God, we know this more than most, as we can read the same Bible verse as someone from a Roman Catholic or Lutheran background and be on completely opposite ends of the spectrum. With all these different groups and teachings out there, we have to wonder: How can we tell who is telling the truth?

While I don’t believe that we will know everything until Jesus comes back (1 Corinthians 13:9-10), there are some good indicators from Titus 1 that someone is lying to us. Ultimately, their lifestyle is the biggest warning sign about their teaching: if they are living a godless life, they aren’t likely to share godly truth. This is what Jesus teaches us too:

Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, you will know them by their fruits. – Matthew 7:15-20

This is the biggest reason why those who are elders and pastors in churches are called to live lives that are above reproach (v. 5-9): you will know someone is telling you the truth if their lifestyle matches what they’re teaching. In an age when we can pull up any famous preacher on YouTube and have our ears tickled by their teaching (2 Timothy 4:3), we should be extremely cautious that we examine our teachers’ lives and hold them accountable to live in a godly way. It’s an unfortunate reality that many news stories are showing just how far pastors and teachers are falling when they’re not held accountable: we should love our pastors and teachers enough to warn them if they are not living well.

Questions

  1. Examine your life and ask yourself: what fruits are being produced in my life? If you notice that there are some things popping up that are out-of-line with Jesus’ teachings, come to the cross and repent. You CAN change if you are willing.
  1. Who are the most influential teachers in your life? Are you close enough to them to see how they are living?
  1. If you are a teacher in any capacity, you are held to a higher standard (James 3:1). Does your life reflect what you are teaching others? If not, make it your priority to develop a more godly lifestyle for your students to see.

Prayer

Dear God – I praise You because You are holy, always righteous, and the giver of all truth. I confess any times that my words and my actions did not claim You or were out-of-line. Thank You for the teachers and pastors and role models in my life who uphold both truth and godly lifestyle. Show me truth, Lord, and help me speak it and live it well until Your precious Son Jesus returns. In his name I pray.

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Where Are You?

Nehemiah 1-2

Psalm 88

2 Timothy 3

-Devotion by Carla Hardy (MI)

Psalm 88 is a tough one. It is a psalm of lament, and the only one that doesn’t shift at the end towards a more hopeful or uplifting view. It’s tempting to read this psalm and feel…well, depressed. We can be fine in our feelings, as long as there is a light at the end of the tunnel. We can feel sad, as long as we know a happy ending is just around the corner. But let’s be real – that’s not always the case. Jesus never promised us a life free of heartache. He said there will be trouble. He doesn’t share specifics on what these troubles will be or how long they will last, but he guarantees we will all have them. 

I know there have been seasons in my life when heartache is the overarching theme. The writer of Psalm 88 could have been me. I don’t think I’m alone in this. Sometimes we call out to God, desperately, and we feel like we are calling out into the void. We wonder if He hears us, or if our prayers are in vain. We pray and we pray and we pray…and…we feel nothing.

The key word here, though, is “feel.” We may feel that our prayers are just echoing into the depths, but if we are rooted in the Word, and committed to prayer and seeking the very character of God, we can KNOW, not just feel. If we feel far away from God or that He’s not hearing us, we can always KNOW that He is near and that He does. 

All this being said, don’t disregard Psalm 88. It may not be a common one the songwriters go to to write the next Sunday morning worship song, but it’s important. It shows us that we will have seasons of great sorrow and distress. But don’t worry. Just as Jesus promises in the book of John that we will have troubles and tribulations, he also promises this: “But take heart, I have overcome the world.” 

Reflection Questions:

  1. Have you ever gone through a long season of heartache? Are you in one right now? (Take heart, my friend.) 
  2. I encourage you, if you are in a season of distress, to focus on who God is. Keep praying, keep seeking. He is there. He loves you, knows you, and hears you. Don’t give up. God’s got this! 

Prayer:

God, thank you for your word, even when it is not sugar-coated. Thank you for sending your son Jesus, as he lived a life and knew the deepest heartache…and truly gets us. Thank you for assuring us that although we have trouble, Jesus has overcome the world, and that our tribulations will have their end. Help us to remember this and to seek you and know you. Help us to keep talking to you and to never wonder if you hear us. Help us to know without a doubt that you hear us, always, even if in our feeble human hearts we feel hopeless. 

Amen.

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Boldly Proclaim

Ezra 7-8

Psalm 87

2 Timothy 1

-Devotion by Carla Hardy (MI)

Paul mentions the word “ashamed” several times in 2 Timothy 1. He tells Timothy to not be ashamed of Jesus nor of himself (v. 8). In verse 12 he says he, Paul, is not ashamed. Lastly, in verse 16 he refers to Onesiphorus, commending him for not being ashamed of Paul’s chains.

Merriam-Webster defines the concept of being ashamed as “feeling shame, guilt or disgrace.” It also says if one is ashamed he is “reluctant or unwilling to do something because of shame or embarrassment.” 

This begs the questions: why would Timothy be ashamed of Jesus? Why would Paul be ashamed of himself, or why would anyone else? And the better question is: why would WE?

I’m sure we have all been ashamed of something about ourselves or our lives. Something we have done has caused us shame or perhaps someone in our family has embarrassed us. This, quite simply, is so human of us. But, to be ashamed of what Jesus has done, of who he is? Why would we? The sad answer is, there is a reason why Paul mentions this in 2 Timothy. We all are capable of this. Can we admit that? 

If we are honest with ourselves, there have likely been times where we don’t share the good news of Jesus with someone. There probably have been times when we just felt like it wasn’t the best environment to share it in or the best people to share it with. Maybe we have felt different and wanted to blend in with the crowd, so we didn’t outwardly show or voice who we were in Jesus. To acknowledge this reality hurts – but it is true. 

Sometimes we need these truths, though. I’m grateful we have Paul’s words here to remind us that we should never ever be ashamed of God, His son, or the saving grace we’ve all been given. 

Let us remember Romans 1:16 whenever we feel shame creeping in: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes…”

Reflection Questions:

  1. Can you recall a time when you were ashamed of the gospel? 
  2. When you feel like you could be inching towards being ashamed, what can you tangibly do, in that moment, to conquer this tactic of the enemy?

Prayer:

God, thank you for your word, and how you spoke through your saints, like Paul, to warn us about hard truths that we may fall prey to. Help us to always remember to not be ashamed. Help us to remember to feel and act upon the very opposite: that you are unapologetically worthy of our adoration and praise, whether we are alone or with others. Amen.

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Cry Out

Ezra 3-4

Psalm 86

1 Timothy 5

-Devotion by Carla Hardy (MI)

Psalm 86 is a desperate prayer of David, in a time of his great distress. He says in verse 7, “in the day of my trouble I call upon you, for you answer me.”

I don’t know what you are going through right now. You may be in a season of joy, or a season of despair, like David. You may even be living in some mixture of the two. Let me assure you – God didn’t abandon David, and He hasn’t abandoned you. In our times of joy and in our times of distress, calling upon the name of the Lord is never done in vain. He hears us, and Jesus, at His right hand, intercedes for us, even pleads for us. What a beautiful picture that is!

David calls on God, desperately so, throughout this psalm:

v. 1 “Incline your ear, O LORD, and answer me, for I am poor and needy.”

v . 2 “…save your servant, who trusts in you–you are my God.”

v. 6 “Give ear, O LORD, to my prayer; listen to my plea for grace.”

And, in verse 3 David says “…for to you do I cry all the day.” As a believer, I know how important setting aside intentional prayer time is. I encourage you to  make it a habit however you can – mark it on your calendar, set a reminder…and do so until it becomes second nature. 

Additionally, I also know how important constant prayer is. God is our Father (“…and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.” 2 Cor. 6:18) and Jesus is our Friend (“…but I have called you friends…” John 15:15). We should, also as habit, be in constant communication with them, from the time we open our eyes in the morning to the time we close them at night – and every time in between. We can call on God any time, for any reason. It should be natural, as talking to our spouse, our children, or our friends. The God of the universe is personal, Jesus is ALIVE, and they want to hear from you. 

Reflection Questions:

  1. What season are you at in your life right now? What is troubling you? What do you, or should you, cry out to God about these days?
  2. Do you set aside intentional time for daily prayer? Do you pray throughout the day? Do you do both?

Prayer:

God, thank you for being there for us, listening to us, whenever we call upon you. Thank you for the saving grace and gift of Jesus, who pleads on our behalf, and knows our suffering. Help us to seek you out in our joy and in our sorrow, and help us to lean on you and speak with you about every aspect of our lives, because there is nothing you do not know and nothing you do not care about. We ask for your ear, and we ask for you to speak to us, too. Amen.

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Shine, Children of the Light

2 Chronicles 23-24

Psalm 82

1 Thessalonians 5

-Devotion by Bethany Ligon (AZ)

1 Thessalonians 5:5 – “You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness.”

School mascots are one of the unifying elements of building culture and community on a campus. As a student and an educator I’ve been associated with more than just a few. I’ve been a: Koala, Hawk, Tiger, Charger, Thunderbird, Wildcat, Lumberjack, Coyote, Cougar, Prospector, and another Cougar and finally, a Spartan. Upon graduating from high school, I received, along with my diploma, a “Once a Charger, Always a Charger” card – which was a game pass for any home game that I wanted to attend as an alumni. At all of these schools, I wasn’t just a student or a teacher on that campus, but I was a (fill in the name of the mascot here). Whether I was on campus, traveling with a school group, or even associating with friends from a different school, I represented my school with the attributes of what our mascot symbolized. 

In today’s New Testament reading from 1 Thessalonians, Paul is providing encouragement to the believers in Thessalonica about waiting for Jesus’ return. As we wait for our Lord’s glorious return, we should do so in a manner that embodies who we are in his name. 

As children of the Light and children of the Day, we are to live righteously, in peace with others, being generous with our resources, standing firm in our faith, and remaining on alert and self-controlled. 

A favorite childhood chorus, “This Little Light of Mine”, is a declaration that the Light lives in us – it’s not just something that we possess, but it’s part of who we are. And because of this truth, we cannot help but shine the Lord’s Light everywhere we go.  

This Light influences how we interact with each person with whom we cross paths.

This Light directs the short-term and long-term decisions we make. 

This Light prompts us to persevere through trials.

This Light guides us towards godliness.

This Light counsels us when we’re confused and corrects us when we veer off course. 

This Light spurs us to spread the gospel of the Kingdom of God.

As you go about your day, consider how you can best illuminate the space you’re in with the Light that comes from our Lord. 

Reflection Questions

  1. Who have you witnessed shining as a child of the light? What was helpful, beautiful and appealing about that light?
  2. Do you see yourself as a child of the light? How do you shine? Are there any spaces that you occupy, or people you come in contact with, that you do not currently shine as bright?
  3. “As you go about your day, consider how you can best illuminate the space you’re in with the Light that comes from our Lord.”

Prayer

Dear Father – I thank You for Your light which shines through Your Son and all Your children. Show us what belongs to the night/darkness and what comes from You. Help us shine every day and in every situation we are in so that others may see more clearly You and Your way that leads to life.

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In Opposition

2 Chronicles 17-18

Psalm 80

I Thessalonians 2

-Devotion by Juliet Taylor (TN)

Jehoshaphat was a strong leader, who protected his people by placing troops and garrisons in all the fortified cities he ruled. More importantly, Jehoshaphat was a strong leader who sought God the father for his wisdom and guidance, and took pride in serving him. He sent officials and priests to teach from the book of the law of the LORD throughout his cities.

And in return, God established Jehoshaphat’s kingdom and his control over the people Judah. The dread of God was on all the surrounding kingdoms, so that they did not make war with Judah. It sounds like God protected his people by making the other nations fear them.

But then we’re taken on a wild ride with Jehoshaphat as he aligns himself with Ahab, the worst of all the kings of Israel, through a marriage. I don’t think this marriage was ordained by God, as Ahab was not a seeker of God’s wisdom.

Ahab wants Jehoshaphat to go with him to battle, which Jehoshaphat is willing to do after seeking wisdom and approval from the LORD. Ahab gets the approval from several false prophets, but Jehoshaphat seeks a true prophet of God for advice. Ahab is well aware that Michaiah is a true prophet of God, but I can almost see him rolling his eyes as he talks about his hatred for him, as Michaiah is known for his negative prophecy. 

I think Michaiah rolls his eyes right back as he tells the king what he wants to hear, I imagine sarcastically at first, as the king understands that that’s not what Michaiah really heard from God. When he tells the true word of the LORD, that if he goes to battle, Ahab will die, Ahab says, “See, didn’t I tell you?” Because of the words he spoke, Ahab threw him in jail and went to battle anyway.

He must have had an inkling that the words of Michaiah were true –why else would he disguise himself to avoid being killed? It didn’t work however. Jehoshaphat went to war too, even after hearing the word of the Lord. But in his distress, he called upon the LORD and was saved.

I don’t know why Jehoshaphat decided to go to battle with Ahab, despite the word of the LORD, and despite already living in peace, as the LORD was fighting his battles for him. If we’re being human, I can speculate that it had something to do with wanting to please his wife and father-in-law. Perhaps there was some arrogance there, thinking he could bring peace.

I don’t know why it reads as if God sent the deceiver to have Ahab killed. But I can speculate that God wanted the evil in Israel to stop, as Ahab did much harm to those he served and led many astray.

What I absolutely do know though is that God heard Jehoshaphat when he called out to him in his distress and saved him.

1 Thessalonians 2

In Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians, it seems that someone(s) was trying to lead them astray. It reads like a plea from a loving relative to a loved one to resist the influence of those trying to keep them from maintaining their status as Christians, thus hindering their walk on the path of righteousness to the kingdom.

The lengths he goes to in this letter emphasizes how much love went into preaching the gospel to these people at their start, who thereafter accepted it, preached it, and were living it out.

Paul recounts how there were some in Judea who killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets who were trying to hinder their preaching of the gospel to the gentiles, the Thessalonians being among them. Those hinderers sound a lot like Jonah when he didn’t want the people of Ninevah to repent and be saved. This is an act of Satan.  

Though Paul’s absence from them may have seemed like an abandonment, leaving orphans behind who had recently come into the family of God, Paul reminds them of his acts of love towards them when they first heard the saving gospel from him, like a father teaching his children.

Most apostles don’t stick around too long after establishing a church, as it’s their position in the body of Christ to preach to various places and plant more churches for the Lord. But a good apostle like Paul checks in on his people, and he receives glory and joy from seeing them continuing in the Lord’s work and resisting evil, as he knows there will be opposition.

This is who we should all become post following Jesus—a person who rejoices over others being saved and transforming their lives. And we should be sure to check in on those we’ve witnessed to, because adversity will come. We need to encourage each other to keep going. Let’s be the people whose glory and joy comes by seeing others repent and choose to do God’s will too, until the end of our race to the kingdom.

Psalms 80:19

“19 Lord God of armies, restore us;
Make Your face shine upon us, and we will be saved.”

QUESTIONS

1.      What do you think was going on with God and the sending of a distressing spirit to Ahab? It sounds consistent with some of the work he was doing with the nations surrounding Judah to keep war from them to protect his people.

2.      Do you think there are professing Christians today who would go to such lengths to keep someone away from hearing or adhering to the Gospel, like Jonah initially tried to do, or like those Paul advises to be on guard against to the Thessalonians?

3.      How can you encourage someone who may be persuaded by a different gospel (which may be subtle changes to the true gospel) like Paul does with the Thessalonians?

Prayer

Dear God, I thank You for Your love and faithfulness and justice. I want to see You and what You see – and boldly share that with the world. Help me discern truth and Your will and follow in Your way, not led astray by plans, people, delusions, different gospels or selfish pride. In the name of Your Son Jesus I pray.

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The Lord is with You, But…

2 Chronicles 15-16

Psalm 80

1 Thessalonians 1

-Devotion by Juliet Taylor (TN)

2 Chronicles 15:2 – The Lord God is with you when you are with him. If you seek him, he will let you find him.

Beautiful.

But if you forsake him, he will forsake you.

Scary.

What does that mean?

I tend to push the narrative of God being our loving father, disciplining us as we need correction and direction, but I don’t often talk about verses like this, wherein it is said of him, “…but if you forsake him, he will forsake you.” (2 Chron 15:2), nor “…for God troubled them with every kind of distress” (2 Chron. 15:6). I don’t enjoy thinking of my God like this, but we need to understand why this may be said of him, and be ready with an answer for our hope whenever asked.

It all boils down to becoming a person like Jesus, who doesn’t want harm to come to anyone, I think. But we cannot live in a world wherein lawlessness reigns. If you forsake God, you’re not going to be a person who desires to do God’s will for the good of others. This line of thinking and behaving will result in a nation like that in the time of Noah over time. In the end, who would enter the kingdom wherein there will be no more death, crying, mourning, or pain?

We need God’s teaching and law (New Covenant law). We need to seek God for that (he put it all in Jesus). For now, I don’t think God renders much judgement towards the nations, as he’s waiting for all who will repent, to repent (2 Peter 3:9). But he will, through Jesus in the end. He will not leave the guilty unpunished. Perhaps we can win some over beforehand, such as is our job under Christ.

In Asa’s time, he did well to heed the wisdom of God coming through the priest Azariah and acted accordingly. The result was that many from Israel, the split kingdom, defected to Asa’s kingdom. The people celebrated God and his laws and his goodness with sacrifice. They even entered a covenant with God, to do what the LORD had spoken to seek the LORD with their heart and soul.

Anyone who did not would be put to death (!!!). But for those who sought him earnestly, he let them find him. And they did it with joy because they understood the goodness of God. Then God gave them peace.

Of course, Asa eventually forsook God.

Aren’t you glad that we don’t live in a time like Asa’s, even though he was generally regarded as a “good” king? It is so good to realize how good we’ve got it under our Lord Jesus. For all the “good” kings of Israel/Judah, none can even come close to what we have in Jesus. It is good to honor him for all he’s done for us like Paul does with many of his writings to the churches of Jesus.

His opening statements are almost always letters abounding in love for the brothers and sisters in Christ. I enjoy reading about what an apostle of God did in the early church years through these letters. I think we can all learn a little from them when it comes to interacting with members of the body of Christ today.

To the newly formed church in Thessalonica, Paul writes about his love for them, but also encourages them to keep the faith.

The Thessalonians became imitators of Paul, Salvanus, and Timothy because of their tribulation upon hearing the word of the Lord. But they had joy of the holy spirit despite circumstances. They became an example of faith to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaiai because they preached the good news of Christ.

Their deeds were made known to Paul, how they had turned from idols to serve the living and true God, how they waited upon Jesus, whom God raised from the dead, who rescues us from the wrath to come (the wrath being whatever happens to those in the end who did not want to conform to the image of Christ).

They sound a little like Asa to me. Oh that they, and we, would be the people who desire to keep covenant with God joyously, ongoing, to the end of our race, for the good of others. Oh that God may shine his face upon us because of his beloved son, the son of Man Jesus, who directs us to put our hope in God. Praise God for his eyes that “move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His.” (2 Chron. 16:9).

QUESTIONS:

1.      Asa was king who had not been brought up to know the LORD God, nor serve him. Yet, he is listed among the “good” kings of Israel (Judah). Why do you think Asa chose to listen to the words of the LORD in the first place? I think it’s because there was much distress in all the lands. Sometimes, it is in the most hopeless times that people decide to turn to God. What do you think?

2.      Because Asa eventually relied on another for help instead of turning to God in his distress, his peace ended. He became a foolish man in his last days instead of turning to God. Why do you think Asa chose not to seek God after hearing admonishment from the LORD?

3.      Did you know that you too are beloved of God and his choice?

PRAYER

Dear Lord God, You are the One true God and the One that I seek. Help me to seek You and follow Your ways all the days of my life. Forgive me for the times I am distracted from following You whole-heartedly. Thank you for the gift of Jesus, the perfect king in submission to You who shows us how to love You and others. Help me to show others the goodness of seeking and following You.

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