Numbers 16
I have often wondered what would happen if God allowed someone to have the power that Moses (and others for that matter) had back in the day. What if God would answer the prayer of the person who ridiculed and persecuted God's messenger when he asked God to call down fire, lightening bolts or whatever on the offending party(s). Seems to me we would either be short a few hundred people in the world in one shot (perhaps not idle) but also a huge media blitz trying to explain. It might be good that God doesn't do this any more (at least so profoundly), but it would help take care of the problem of the question of "Does God even listen to prayer anymore?"
Psalm 90
Verses 14-15: "O Satisfy us early with thy mercy; that we may rejoice and be glad all our days. Make us glad according to the days wherein thou hast afflicted us, and the years wherein we have seen evil."
Romans 8-9
The second half of Romans 8 is great for those who are feeling far from God and feeling afflicted, abandoned and lost. Nothing can seperate you from the love of God in Christ Jesus. The Spirit intercedes when you don't know how to pray with groanings too deep for words. If God is for you who can be against you. It might not make the pain and suffering easier, but it does bring comfort in times of trouble.
Friday, May 8, 2009
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Devotion 5/6/09
Numbers 14-15
I once heard it said that if both Moses and God were mad at the Israelites at the same time none of them would have made it to the promised land. There is probably great truth in this. There are times when it seems certain that God is going to wipe them all out and there are times when Moses wants God to wipe them all out. What struck me most particularirly today was Moses calling God's attention to His promises. Moses basically says to God, "Hey, you said you weren't going to wipe them out. You made a promise a LONG time ago. What are you going to do, just forget? Come on God, do what you promised!" And God says, "Alright." It is as if God was saying, all you have to do is ask me to remember my promises and I will. In a way it is as if God is trying to see if WE remember His promises. God can't forget, but we can...as the Israelites show us time and time again. We need to be bold more often and tell God, "I remember what you promised me, don't forget to do it! Don't stop fulfilling your promises now." In this way we show that we are in true relationship with God and active in the story, His Story.
Psalm 89
Verse 18: "For the LORD is our defence; and the Holy One of Israel is our king."
Romans 5-7
Romans 6 is one of my favorite chapters in all of Scripture. One of the things I love most about this chapter is the emphasis on Baptism. It shows us so specifically how baptism brings us into the real life of a Christian. When you are baptized you are made a member of Christ. You die with Christ and you are raised to life with Christ. You no longer can live the old life, you MUST live the new life because you are one with Christ through your baptism. This is why Luther makes such a big deal about remembering ones baptism every day. When you remember what it means to be baptized you can't help but live the life you have been given through the power of the Spirit. It is not optional. It just is. This is what it means to be living in the grace of Christ. Knowing that our sinful self has been crucified and the new life has come is such an amazing assurance. For newness to come the old must die!
I once heard it said that if both Moses and God were mad at the Israelites at the same time none of them would have made it to the promised land. There is probably great truth in this. There are times when it seems certain that God is going to wipe them all out and there are times when Moses wants God to wipe them all out. What struck me most particularirly today was Moses calling God's attention to His promises. Moses basically says to God, "Hey, you said you weren't going to wipe them out. You made a promise a LONG time ago. What are you going to do, just forget? Come on God, do what you promised!" And God says, "Alright." It is as if God was saying, all you have to do is ask me to remember my promises and I will. In a way it is as if God is trying to see if WE remember His promises. God can't forget, but we can...as the Israelites show us time and time again. We need to be bold more often and tell God, "I remember what you promised me, don't forget to do it! Don't stop fulfilling your promises now." In this way we show that we are in true relationship with God and active in the story, His Story.
Psalm 89
Verse 18: "For the LORD is our defence; and the Holy One of Israel is our king."
Romans 5-7
Romans 6 is one of my favorite chapters in all of Scripture. One of the things I love most about this chapter is the emphasis on Baptism. It shows us so specifically how baptism brings us into the real life of a Christian. When you are baptized you are made a member of Christ. You die with Christ and you are raised to life with Christ. You no longer can live the old life, you MUST live the new life because you are one with Christ through your baptism. This is why Luther makes such a big deal about remembering ones baptism every day. When you remember what it means to be baptized you can't help but live the life you have been given through the power of the Spirit. It is not optional. It just is. This is what it means to be living in the grace of Christ. Knowing that our sinful self has been crucified and the new life has come is such an amazing assurance. For newness to come the old must die!
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Coffee House Ruminations
About a year and a half ago I had the pleasure of hearing Dan Kimball hold forth at The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod's Youth Ministry Symposium in Houston Texas. Dan is the author of some great works such as They Like Jesus But Not the Church, The Emerging Church, and Emerging Worship. He is on the forefront of the Emerging Church movement and by his own admission, a raving postmodern. Needless to say, I quite enjoyed the weekend with Dan and the insights he gave me as I find myself very much drawn to the postmodern culture and the emerging church movement.One of the things that Dan talked about over this weekend that has come back to me more and more over the last few weeks and months is the need for church leaders to "tunnel out from our church bubble." By this he meant that we need to leave our offices, leave our circle of Christian friends and venture into society as people. We need to be ambassadors of the truth, but we need to do so as people, not Bible thumping, sin blasting, stereotypical Christians. We need to shed the Christian T'shirts and paraphernalia that we find so entertaining, yet those that don't like the church find so offensive. Instead of just saying we are Christians we need to start acting like Christians and do what Christ did. Get out of this "bubble" and head to the margins and to where people are that need Jesus.
I have felt more and more convicted lately as I have found that I have not been doing this well and not fulfilling Christ's mission to bring His message to all people, regardless who they are. We are all God's children and need to be ministered to and loved. Yes, sometimes we need the hard truth, and Christ brought this when it was needed. He was quick to point out hypocrisy in the church and to call the religious leaders to task when they were not acting like they should. He even went so far as to call them a "brood of vipers." Yikes...harsh words to those that are suppose to be the religious types. And yet that was what I found God saying to me in so many words. "Stop talking about it and do it! Stop being a mouth piece and get out and live the life I told you to. Stop hoping someone else will listen and do, GO!"
And so I have. The last few days I have spent the afternoons working from the local coffee house in Delmar,
New York, Perfect Blend. I am starting to get to know the people who work here and just observe. I wouldn't say I have developed any relationships yet with any of the people who work here, but I have had the opportunity to speak to a couple. Yesterday while talking on the phone to my wife about her brother's wedding this coming weekend I was over heard by a young woman named Cheryl Duwe who after overhearing my conversation and some of the stress that was present introduced herself and told me she was a massage therapist and if we needed to, give her a call. I will admit that I was surprised she took the initiative to reach out and care after overhearing half a phone call. I was touched that she would be willing to care. But it also gave me a small opportunity to talk about faith, as she saw my Bible sitting out on the table. Turns out she is a Christian and worships up in Troy, New York at Terra Nova Church. Though I have not been to Terra Nova I hope to soon as they are church on the forefront of the emerging church movement and doing some very innovative things. Just from the things I have heard I am already inspired by them. I may not have had the chance to witness and spread the gospel to someone who doesn't have a relationship with Christ, however I was able to make another connection with a believer and sister of the same Heavenly Father. In a lot of ways this confirmed that I am doing the right thing.
The world is changing. Christianity has to find new ways to reach people. How are you "tunneling out of your Christian bubble"?
Last April Devo
Number 12-13
Two interesting stories about trusting in God and His messengers. In the first one Aaron and Miriam doubt that Moses is really God's man because of who he married. In the second, when the 12 men went to spy on Cannan only two come back and say they can take the inhabitants, the main spokesman in chapter 13 being Caleb. It is interesting to me that people were scared of the message that was being sent and so they would come up with any reason that they could not to believe the one who sent them. For Aaron and Miriam they didn't like that Moses' wife wasn't who they thought he should marry, and for Caleb it was fear of the unknown. We should be careful not to fall into the same trap as these as we listen to the ones that God has sent. I was also sturck by God's words about how he talks to prophets, in visions and dreams (12:6). How often to we ignore people who say they have had a vision or dream. Why are we so quick to dismiss that God might still speak to people in these ways? As long as their message matches God's we should be willing to listen and recieve.
Psalm 88
verses 1-3: "O LORD God of my salvation, I have cried day and night before thee; Let my prayer come before thee: incline thine ear unto my cry; For my soul is full of troubles: and my life draweth nigh unto the grave."
Romans 2-4
The faith of Abraham has always struck me as an interesting and intriguing thing. Abraham never seems to doubt God. God says, "you will have a child in your old age," Abraham says, "ok." God says, "sacrifice your sons," Abraham says, "ok." I struggle with the simple things. God says, "I will take care of you," and I say, "Really? How? Can you explain it to me a little more? Could you show me how you are going to do it? You know, it would be better for me if you would just do it my way." Instead I should just be saying, "ok." Abraham never doubted God's promises even though he couldn't figure out how God was going to fulfill them. I doubt God's promises all the time because I can't figure out how God is going ot fulfill them. My prayer for the day...give me the faith of Abraham. Help me trust like him. Help me follow and not doubt. Amen.
Two interesting stories about trusting in God and His messengers. In the first one Aaron and Miriam doubt that Moses is really God's man because of who he married. In the second, when the 12 men went to spy on Cannan only two come back and say they can take the inhabitants, the main spokesman in chapter 13 being Caleb. It is interesting to me that people were scared of the message that was being sent and so they would come up with any reason that they could not to believe the one who sent them. For Aaron and Miriam they didn't like that Moses' wife wasn't who they thought he should marry, and for Caleb it was fear of the unknown. We should be careful not to fall into the same trap as these as we listen to the ones that God has sent. I was also sturck by God's words about how he talks to prophets, in visions and dreams (12:6). How often to we ignore people who say they have had a vision or dream. Why are we so quick to dismiss that God might still speak to people in these ways? As long as their message matches God's we should be willing to listen and recieve.
Psalm 88
verses 1-3: "O LORD God of my salvation, I have cried day and night before thee; Let my prayer come before thee: incline thine ear unto my cry; For my soul is full of troubles: and my life draweth nigh unto the grave."
Romans 2-4
The faith of Abraham has always struck me as an interesting and intriguing thing. Abraham never seems to doubt God. God says, "you will have a child in your old age," Abraham says, "ok." God says, "sacrifice your sons," Abraham says, "ok." I struggle with the simple things. God says, "I will take care of you," and I say, "Really? How? Can you explain it to me a little more? Could you show me how you are going to do it? You know, it would be better for me if you would just do it my way." Instead I should just be saying, "ok." Abraham never doubted God's promises even though he couldn't figure out how God was going to fulfill them. I doubt God's promises all the time because I can't figure out how God is going ot fulfill them. My prayer for the day...give me the faith of Abraham. Help me trust like him. Help me follow and not doubt. Amen.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Devotion
Numbers 10-11
This classic piece of the Torah details God's reaction to the people and their grumbling. They grumble about not having enough food. They grumble against God for not providing the right food. They grumble against God because people they don't think should are prophesying. Seems like they are never happy and God eventually hits them with plague and kills the people that are grumbling. I don't believe this is a message for us not to grumble because we might get hit with a plague, but it is certainly something for us to think about. How do we remain content and happy with what God gives us. It isn't always easy for us to echo Job's words, "The LORD gives, the LORD takes away. Blessed be the name of the LORD." And yet, that is what we are called to do. God provides for what we need and will always do so. We must be willing to allow God to be God and be content in him.
Psalm 86-87
Psalm 87:16 "O turn unto me, and have mercy upon me; give thy strength unto thy servant, and save the son of thine handmaid."
Romans 1
Romans has always had a special place in my heart, especially chapter one. My confirmation verse is Romans 1:16, "I am not ashamed of the gospel for it is the power of salvation for all who believe, first for the Jew and also for the gentile." I have tried to take this to heart over the years as I have proclaimed God's truth and word. I know that there are times when being firm and strong in the Gospel of God and His word will get in you into trouble, just as it did for Paul. However, on the last day when I am called to account for all I have done or not done, I know I will have enough to answer for, I do not want to have to answer for not standing up and being ashamed of God and His Word. I am not ashamed of the gospel!
This classic piece of the Torah details God's reaction to the people and their grumbling. They grumble about not having enough food. They grumble against God for not providing the right food. They grumble against God because people they don't think should are prophesying. Seems like they are never happy and God eventually hits them with plague and kills the people that are grumbling. I don't believe this is a message for us not to grumble because we might get hit with a plague, but it is certainly something for us to think about. How do we remain content and happy with what God gives us. It isn't always easy for us to echo Job's words, "The LORD gives, the LORD takes away. Blessed be the name of the LORD." And yet, that is what we are called to do. God provides for what we need and will always do so. We must be willing to allow God to be God and be content in him.
Psalm 86-87
Psalm 87:16 "O turn unto me, and have mercy upon me; give thy strength unto thy servant, and save the son of thine handmaid."
Romans 1
Romans has always had a special place in my heart, especially chapter one. My confirmation verse is Romans 1:16, "I am not ashamed of the gospel for it is the power of salvation for all who believe, first for the Jew and also for the gentile." I have tried to take this to heart over the years as I have proclaimed God's truth and word. I know that there are times when being firm and strong in the Gospel of God and His word will get in you into trouble, just as it did for Paul. However, on the last day when I am called to account for all I have done or not done, I know I will have enough to answer for, I do not want to have to answer for not standing up and being ashamed of God and His Word. I am not ashamed of the gospel!
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Devo Time
One of these weeks I will be faithful and keep this updated more often. I also hope to start expounding on some actual theology and thoughts along the way too. Oh that God would hold the sun back for me to have a few more hours each day. I am guessing that isn't going to happen anytime soon, so that bening the case, I will do what I can with what I have.
Numbers 8-9
I love the idea of the LORD going before me. There are so many times I wish that God would appear by fire and cloud and go before me to guide me. I would walk days and months with Him going before me if I could. Certainly make this crazy maze of a life easier sometimes!
Psalm 85
Verse 7: "Show us thy mercy, O LORD, and grant us thy salvation."
Acts 27-28
The story of Paul's trip to Rome and the ship wreck is an all time favorite. I think we all at different points in our lives can relate to what it is like to feel like you are on the sea with the waves crashing around you and the boat falling apart. Maybe you have never experienced this and I pray you never do, it isn't a fun expereince. But Paul's words to the sailors are the same to us. Trust is God, He will bring us through. So hard to hear and to do when you are in the midst of a ship wreck, but it is oh so true.
Numbers 8-9
I love the idea of the LORD going before me. There are so many times I wish that God would appear by fire and cloud and go before me to guide me. I would walk days and months with Him going before me if I could. Certainly make this crazy maze of a life easier sometimes!
Psalm 85
Verse 7: "Show us thy mercy, O LORD, and grant us thy salvation."
Acts 27-28
The story of Paul's trip to Rome and the ship wreck is an all time favorite. I think we all at different points in our lives can relate to what it is like to feel like you are on the sea with the waves crashing around you and the boat falling apart. Maybe you have never experienced this and I pray you never do, it isn't a fun expereince. But Paul's words to the sailors are the same to us. Trust is God, He will bring us through. So hard to hear and to do when you are in the midst of a ship wreck, but it is oh so true.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
And I'm back....
John Lennon once said, "Life is what happens to you while you are busy making other plans."
I think that about sums up my absence for the last few weeks. I am glad to say I am back and looking at each day as it comes to me. I hope this means I am back for an extended period of time to blog, discuss, enlighten and encourage. What better way to begin again then to go to God's word for devotion.
Numbers 5:
I am always interested in the Law and the requirements of the Old Testament. I often wonder if we were to follow the same regulations today would people take God's word more seriously. Yahweh gave the Law to the people in order to help them see how things were not how He intended them to be. In this way, God was helping the people to see their need for Him. Too often we go through life thinking we can do everything without God. We think we have it all together. Sometimes, I think God places obstacles in our way, such as the Law, to help us see that we need Him. He needs us to know that we need Him and Him alone, the curse of the Law certainly accomplishes that!
Psalm 81 - 82:
Psalm 82:8 "Arise, O God, judge the earth: for thou shalt inherit all nations."
Acts 23 - 24:
I am often profoundly impressed by Paul's boldness. He never fails to stand up for what is right and to speak the truth in all situations. Even in the face of death, imprisonment for over two years, being beaten and disgraced Paul never once faltered in speaking the truth in love. I pray that God will give me the same sort of boldness. That I might be able to stand up for the truth. That I would be able to, in the face of persecution and hardship, stand up for what is right and proclaim the glory and love of Christ Jesus my Lord. May I be more like Paul and therefore more like Jesus.
I think that about sums up my absence for the last few weeks. I am glad to say I am back and looking at each day as it comes to me. I hope this means I am back for an extended period of time to blog, discuss, enlighten and encourage. What better way to begin again then to go to God's word for devotion.
Numbers 5:
I am always interested in the Law and the requirements of the Old Testament. I often wonder if we were to follow the same regulations today would people take God's word more seriously. Yahweh gave the Law to the people in order to help them see how things were not how He intended them to be. In this way, God was helping the people to see their need for Him. Too often we go through life thinking we can do everything without God. We think we have it all together. Sometimes, I think God places obstacles in our way, such as the Law, to help us see that we need Him. He needs us to know that we need Him and Him alone, the curse of the Law certainly accomplishes that!
Psalm 81 - 82:
Psalm 82:8 "Arise, O God, judge the earth: for thou shalt inherit all nations."
Acts 23 - 24:
I am often profoundly impressed by Paul's boldness. He never fails to stand up for what is right and to speak the truth in all situations. Even in the face of death, imprisonment for over two years, being beaten and disgraced Paul never once faltered in speaking the truth in love. I pray that God will give me the same sort of boldness. That I might be able to stand up for the truth. That I would be able to, in the face of persecution and hardship, stand up for what is right and proclaim the glory and love of Christ Jesus my Lord. May I be more like Paul and therefore more like Jesus.
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