Tag: sin

Warning: Lethal Wound

Psalm 38

Untitled design (1)

I am afraid we have an ugly topic to talk about today.  It’s no fun, but it has to be done.  It is more fun to talk about sunshine, knitting and fruit salad (see the last two days’ posts).  But when we don’t talk about this topic and acknowledge it and be on the defensive against it, it has a way of festering, oozing out of control and taking over by force – consuming ourself and others in its path of destruction.

I am talking about sin.  One verse toward the end of yesterday’s psalm about trials points to the seriousness of sin: “If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.” (Psalm 66:18) .  Ouch.  The All-Powerful God who loves and cares for me will not hear my prayers, my petitions, or even my praise if my sin is creating a sound-proof barrier between me and Him.  His holiness will not allow it.  Sin is serious and must be dealt with in order for me to be heard by God.

King David was a man who knew a thing or two about the devastating effects of sin.  In Psalm 38 he describes many consequences of sin: God’s anger and discipline, ill health, overwhelming guilt, searing pain, severe depression, social isolation, increased enemies, and confusion.  What other consequences can you find in this psalm?  He states, “My wounds fester and are loathsome because of my sinful folly.” (Psalm 38:5).

The thing is…”sinful folly” sounds just a wee bit fun, doesn’t it??  Maybe it’s a glance at pornography, experimenting with friends doing drugs or alcohol, speeding recklessly down the interstate with some great tunes cranking out, making out with your significant other, or getting a good laugh out of the lunch crew when you share a great put-down.  It’s a little exhilarating – for a time.  And that’s the trouble with sin.  It can start by seeming like no big deal.  I highly doubt that King David woke up one morning and said, “This is the day.  I am going to go watch a woman bathe, and then commit adultery and that will lead to deception, murder, the death of my child, a plaque of violence on my family, and ….   No one plans to be sucked into a downward spiral of sin, deceit and pain.  Rather, it begins with small acts of selfishness – thinking of my own pleasure over and above what is right, pleasing to God and helpful to others.  And then the demon of pride enters and says we can handle this burning coal and we won’t get burned.  So, we say yes to that little urge of ‘sinful folly’.

Before we know it, we are facing festering wounds and a forest fire.  And the good-feeling exhilaration is long gone.  In it’s place is only pain, isolation, depression, guilt and confusion.

Sadly, this is not true for only adulterous murderers.  It is the same for me.  It is the same for you.  It is the same for the most saintly person you know.  In the New Testament James gives the same warning David does: “But each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed.  Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.” (James 1:14-15).  Sin is a big deal, and not just for the sinner, but for so many others who will be affected.

I was looking for a great picture of gangrene to open this devotion.  They were much worse than I had anticipated (as is the case with sin) so I will not include an actual visual.  But, imagine, blackened decaying flesh surrounded by raw, oozing, pain.  Death has set in – even while the rest of the body lives.  Sin, left unchecked and allowed to grow, is like this extreme infection.  It leads to death most certainly – if not treated.  Sin, too, must be treated, and the earlier the better.  Psalm 38:18 shares the first important step to restoration: “I confess my iniquity; I am troubled by my sin.”  Tear down the sound-proof barrier your sins have built up between you and God.  Cry out to him in confession.  Thank God for the gift of His Son Jesus Christ who died so we might be forgiven when we come to the Father with a repentant heart, ready to be obedient in turning from our sins and seeking to live a holy life.

Even gangrene can be healed.  It requires hard dirty work (sometimes even using amputation or maggots) – a process of cutting out and destroying the old which causes death.  Maybe a friend who is a bad influence needs to be cut out, or maybe it’s a TV channel or social media.  And, then a lot of antibiotics and sometimes lifestyle changes are needed to return to health. God’s Word, prayer, a church body and healthy habits are great antibiotics for a repentant sinner.

Remember our memory verse for this week from Psalm 139:24 – “See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”  Sin is serious – even when it starts small.  Don’t let sins fester.  Pray for conviction where conviction is due, and healing and restoration where that is needed.  And seek out the everlasting way.

-Marcia Railton

 

 

 

 

 

Knit Together

Psalm 139

Psalm 139 13

Welcome to a new week!  A new week of LIFE!  How exciting!  Sure beats a new week of Death, doesn’t it!  This week you will be hearing from me as well as some of my family members and every day we will be writing about a different psalm.  Today – I am starting with a most beautiful Psalm – 139.  It has so many great verses I won’t have time to touch on.  You really must read it all for yourself – maybe even a couple times today – and at BibleGateway.com you can have it read to you, too.  (https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+139&version=NIV)

As a crafter I love to create!  I love selecting materials and colors and textures that I want to work with.  I love planning and then watching my project grow and grow and grow until it becomes what I had once just envisioned in my head (or at least something close to what I had dreamed up).  My grandma taught me how to knit when I was in high school and I am so thankful for the hours I have relaxed while clinking the needles together to make something useful and (sometimes even) beautiful.  And so I love the imagery of Psalm 139:13 “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”

As a creator there is nothing like that feeling you get while gazing upon a completed work.  Remembering when it was nothing.  Remembering the process and time it took to create it to be just so.  And then, being able to share it – use it – give it away – enjoy it.  Makes me want to drop my computer and run to my knitting needles!  So too, I believe God gets great pleasure out of creating – knitting new life and continuing to mold and shape it into what He wants it to be.

Unfortunately, there are also so many things that mess with those beautiful creations.  Just like a pair of scissors will quickly destroy the hours of work to create a beautiful sweater, so too, sin wreaks havoc on the beauty of life.  An unkind word, a superior attitude is like a slash with a permanent marker against a beautiful piece of art.  When we view each person as a work of art created by God, we have a greater responsibility for not letting our own (or society’s) sins stain and destroy that creation.

I recently read about one pastor who said he hated Sanctity of Life Sunday.  (https://www.russellmoore.com/2009/01/18/why-i-hate-sanctity-of-human-life-sunday/) . He went on to explain that it wasn’t because he didn’t think it was Biblical, or because he didn’t agree with it – but because we live in a world where it is needed.  He said, “I hate Sanctity of Human Life Sunday because I’m reminded that we have to say things to one another that human beings shouldn’t have to say. Mothers shouldn’t kill their children. Fathers shouldn’t abandon their babies. No human life is worthless, regardless of skin color, age, disability, economic status. The very fact that these things must be proclaimed is a reminder of the horrors of this present darkness.” (Russell Moore).

So true.  So true.

Each day – may we strive to remember the Creator who gives life and work to honor His creations.  May we see each and every person – all races, all ages, all colors, all abilities, with a home, without a home, born, unborn as the special creation of God they are – lovingly knit together with a purpose.  May we put away the scissors and sin that cut down life and leave gaping holes – and even death.  May we find the words and attitudes and actions to value life – not just our own – but others too.

I encourage you to work on memorizing the last verse of Psalm 139 this week.  “See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”  Make it your prayer this week and beyond.

Looking forward to our week together,

Marcia Railton

 

 

Different Strokes

Romans 8

emoyer-diff strokes

Even though Different Strokes debuted way back in 1978, I am pretty confident that many of you know the familiar saying ”What you talking about, Willis?”  The premise of this dated sitcom is two young orphan boys coming to live with Mr. Drummond, a widowed and very wealthy New York businessman, his daughter Kimberly, and the housekeeper, Mrs. Garrett. The boys went from rags to riches, coming from the streets of Harlem to a high rise condominium in Manhattan.  The weekly episodes had typical sitcom lessons of growing up with the loving guidance of their adoptive father.

Paul writes in Romans 8 ways to go from rags to riches.  This whole chapter is a reminder to set our minds and lives on God.  We may feel like Willis and Arnold and may face challenges and suffer in various ways.  We may feel alone and want guidance and support. Well this chapter is a great one to mark to remind of us the gift we have in our loving Father. Specifically verses 15-23 remind us that we all have been slaves of sin and can be set free from sin if we follow his will.  We have a rich Father who yearns to be part of our lives.  He wants to adopt every single one of us and gives us hope for our coming “adoption day”.  Now isn’t that something to talk about, Willis?

-Emily Moyer

Joy to the World – Up From the Grave He AROSE!

Luke 24

JOY to the WORLD!

In yesterday’s devotion, Jesus died.  And the world –  the centurion, the sky, the women, the crowd – took notice and responded.  Even the crowd that had not been Jesus’ followers, some of whom may have earlier shouted, “Crucify Him!”, now, “beat their breasts and went away” (Luke 23:48).  There was something very different about this man Jesus and the way he died.  Though they did not understand at the time that he had died for their sins – and not only theirs – but the sins of the world.

If Luke’s gospel story had ended there, we could still be forgiven people today – able to have a relationship with God because of the sacrifice of Jesus carrying our sins to his death because the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23).  BUT – there is even MORE good news to come in Luke 24!  A great gift of God is set before us – eternal life in Christ Jesus our RISEN Lord.  Without a risen Lord there would be no future hope for a resurrection for his followers.

When the women brought news to the disciples that Jesus was no longer in the tomb, “they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense.  Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb.” (Luke 24:11,12).   He was going to search it out and find the truth.  Likewise, the two on the road to Emmaus had many questions and were confused about what they had seen and heard.  Jesus walked with them, “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.” (Luke 24:27).

Today, news of his resurrection and the resurrection to come still brings great joy to his followers.  There are those who say it sounds like nonsense.  There are those who are questioning.  Be like Peter and seek out answers.  Like Jesus, dig into the Scriptures and reveal them to others.  Declare the good news of Jesus’ birth – but then so much more – his death and resurrection.  Share the Joy!

-Marcia Railton

Live a Changed Life

Luke 12

Be PreparedforHis Return

In the Old Testament God set up the Jewish religious system through Moses as a way to set them apart.  By the time of Jesus the Israelites had turned away from God so many times it gets hard to count, and they had turned the law into something unrecognizable from its original intent and had given into greed, hypocrisy and selfishness.  Jesus spent much of his time on earth battling and rebuking the Pharisees who epitomized all of the flaws with the Jewish religious system of the time.  Knowing that the church will have a strong Jewish culture with these traditions and tendencies and that they will be persecuted after he is gone, Jesus gives the advice found in Luke 12.

First in Luke 12:1-3  he warns them against hypocrisy because that is the quickest way to errode the witness and testimony of the church.  Similarly for us today, if we want to reach those around us for Christ, then we have to be consistent in our actions and words.  If you are a different person on Sunday than the rest of the week, or if your friends outside of church are genuinely surprised that you are a Christian because they cannot tell by your actions, then you need to evaluate your heart.

 

Then in Luke 12:4-12 he warns them to fear God more than the world and the government and people who are persecuting them.  We are also given a promise that when we boldly stand up for Jesus despite the physical consequences he will stand up for us before God.  As believers in Jesus we cannot stand idly on the sidelines.  Now that we have the knowledge of our sin, and the fact that Jesus died for our sins and requires us to live a life set apart we have to make a choice and stand up for it every day.

 

In Luke 12:13-34 Jesus warns his disciples against greed, and being bad stewards of the things that God has given us.  Of those who are given much, much will be required.  This is true for riches as well and talents and abilities.  If we knowingly put ourselves before the Kingdom and spend all our time and talents on ourselves and buying worldly items and position and popularity then we will be held accountable for those actions.  If we are living a truly changed life for the gospel then we should be using our money and talents to further the gospel in any way we can.  If we put God first in this then he will take care of our physical needs as well.

 

Finally in the rest of the chapter he tells them to be watchful for his return, and to not grow complacent.  The entire Old Testament led up to the ministry of Jesus and everybody in Israel knew the scriptures and should have known that Jesus was the Messiah, but they did not interpret the events correctly, and their hearts were not ready.  Similarly we have been given a promise of the return of Jesus in the future and need to be always ready for his return.  We cannot grow complacent in our Christianity.  We cannot let sin creep back into our lives and we cannot allow our passion and fire for the gospel to dwindle.   We should also be familiar with the prophecies of his return so that when they start to be fulfilled we can be prepared for his return.  We do not want to miss out like many of the Israelites of Jesus’ time did.

-Chris Mattison

Right from Wrong

WEDNESDAY

In understanding right from wrong, the most important thing is to know what God has said.

1Th. 4:1   Finally, brothers and sisters, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus that, as you learned from us how you ought to live and to please God (as, in fact, you are doing), you should do so more and more. 2 For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. 3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from fornication;

 

The church at Thessaloniki was made up of mostly non-Jews, so Paul knew that it was important to teach them about sexual purity, because that was not something that was expected in their society. As Demosthenes wrote:

 

“We keep mistresses for pleasure, concubines for our day-to-day bodily needs, but we have wives to produce legitimate children and serve as trustworthy guardians of our homes.”

This attitude was not acceptable to God’s people. In Acts 15, when the leaders of the Jerusalem church welcomed the Gentile Christians into the body, they thought it important to remind them to abstain from fornication (Acts 15:29).

 

We live in such a world today. How do we make moral decisions? As we continue in this chapter we will see three more important points, but Paul begins with what we have been taught. In understanding right from wrong, the most important thing is to know what God has said. Paul writes that they have been taught to abstain from fornication, meaning every type of sexual sin.

 

-Greg Demmitt

Same Old Flaws

Revelation 21 and Revelation 22:1-5

Revelation 21-2,3

Ecclesiastes 1:9 says, “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again, there is nothing new under the sun.” Times and technology may advance but primal human tendencies remain. The flaws that you perceive in yourself are the same flaws that King David, Peter, Elijah and so many others had to deal with. Flaws are a fact of life because we live in a flawed world. One of the reasons we so eagerly await the coming Kingdom of God is because we will finally live in a flawless Kingdom with a flawless ruler! The flaws that we combat in ourselves and others should never become our focus. Instead focus on God’s amazing perfection and promise. Today I’ll keep it short and sweet but take some extra time to focus on the reading in Revelation. Take time to really imagine it as best you can and remember that flaws are only temporary because in God’s Kingdom we will be made new and flawless.

-Lacey Dunn

Entitled

David

man after my own heart

Acts 13:22, 2 Sam 11:1-17, 2 Samuel 12:7-14

If you grew up in church your Sunday school classes were probably full of the stories of David’s triumphs. He was the shepherd boy who killed lions, bears, Goliath and eventually became King. His triumphs were nothing short of amazing. David was even called a “Man after God’s own heart” in Acts 13:22. Yet just like the other characters we have discussed, David was flawed.

In arguably the most famous story of his flaws David ultimately caused catastrophe to befall his entire Kingdom. First off, in 2 Samuel 11:1 it says that David stayed home in his cozy palace instead of going off to war as he was supposed to. Next, since he wasn’t where he was supposed to be he saw a beautiful woman named Bathsheba bathing on her roof. Even though she was married to a man who was serving in David’s army David decided to send messengers to bring her to him. We find out in verse 5 that she became pregnant.

In an attempt to cover up what he had done David asks for Bathsheba’s husband Uriah to come home from battle but Uriah is honorable and refuses to sleep in the comfort of his home knowing the other men in his army are not able to do the same. Frustrated David sends a note with Uriah as he goes back to the battle front. The note carries Uriah’s death sentence as it commands the commander of the army to send Uriah to the front line of the fiercest battle. With Uriah out of the way David takes Bathsheba to be his wife and she gave birth to a son who later died because of David’s sin. Not only that but David was later driven out of his own Kingdom because of the sin he committed. Everyone suffered because of the flaw that David allowed himself to be entitled to do as he pleased.

David suffered for his actions and repented for it. Despite his flaws through grace God used David to establish the throne of Israel even making Jesus a decedent of David. No matter what you have done God sees your potential and can use you in amazing ways.

-Lacey Dunn

Flawed

Read Genesis Chapter 1, Chapter 3:1-13, Romans 3:23-24

Romans 3-23

Let’s go back to the beginning in Genesis Chapter 1 when God began to shape and create the world. It describes God creating light, seasons, plants, animals and of course people. Just take a moment and imagine how the earth must have been. I imagine that I can feel soft green lush grass beneath my feet and can smell the fresh scent of earth and the soft sweet smell of flowers. I imagine I can hear the strange exotic sounds of creatures that have just come to life. I imagine that I feel surrounded by peace that comes from being in the presence of God and the freedom of never knowing sin and its pain. That is the world that Adam and Eve were created in! The world they lived in was literally flawless, a perfect creation of God.

Sadly, this chapter of human history was short lived. In Genesis 3 we read how the serpent tricked Eve and then Eve shared her downfall with Adam. When their eyes were opened, they saw they were naked, they knew they had made a big mistake, and they realized for the first time that they were flawed. My question is, why did God make Adam and Eve? Had he made another man first and made a woman out of his rib would the outcome have changed? I believe the answer is no. God is perfect yet we are not. In fact even Romans 3:23 reminds us that we all have flaws but through the gift of God’s grace (Romans 3:24) we are redeemed.

Although this is a sad story; it can also be encouraging. When God made Adam and Eve He knew that they would fall short but He in His wisdom decided it was still worth it to create them. Adam and Eve still had worth in God’s eyes just as you and I have worth in God’s eyes, no matter our flaws.

God sees past the flaws that we see. God sees our potential.

-Lacey Dunn

Ultimate Act of Empathy

Thursday

Hebrews 4-15

Hebrews 4:15-16 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

If empathy can be summed up as “feeling with people,” as Brene Brown put it on Monday, then Christ and his life represent the ultimate act of empathy.

In each of our lives, we have all fallen short.  It’s an unfortunate fact of existence.  We are all going to mess it up and be messed up.  And it’s not just us – all of life and creation feels the effects of the broken world we live in.

Yet the world and life is still good and we give God praise for each day.  Why?

It is because we have an intercessor who knows – not just intellectually – deep down in his bones what it means to suffer under the weight of human tragedy.  We have a high priest who has walked through the deepest shadows of despair and born the burden of bodily pain in his own flesh.  And because of him, there is hope.

Hope that there can be life on the other side of horror.  There is joy beyond the pain.  There is calm beyond the storm.

And it isn’t just a pie-in-the-sky kind of hope either.  It isn’t a hope that only awaits us on some future ethereal plane.  It is a hope that is born out and brought into the midst of this life through the continued work of Christ in the community of faith.  It is hope that is birthed in the acts of empathy that we continue to pursue each and every day.

We can approach not just the throne of grace with confidence, but the altars of pain and brokenness with healing because we can extend the grace that has already been extended to us.

Today, may you receive the grace you need and may you pass along the love that overflows from the heart of Christ.

-Graysen Pack
Hebrews 4 16