Month: August 2021

Identity

Read Philippians 3:7-9

What would you say gives you your identity? Some individuals might answer this question by describing their employment. Others may choose to answer by talking about their degrees or training or certifications. Another potential response may be linked to their name and/or ancestry. Where the person lives currently or lived previously might be the answer a person gives to this question. A list of accomplishments could be the way the person responds. There are a variety of answers the question night elicit and the one chosen provides insight into what the individual determines as important.

In the letter to the Philippians, Paul speaks about what is important to him and gives us a glimpse into how he wishes to be identified. Paul states that any previous accomplishments  or skills are of no value to him any longer. He instead wishes to focus on his relationship with Christ which now has the highest value in his life. He desires to be identified through his faith as connected to Christ.

Reading Paul’s words can cause us to question the man’s sanity. We know that Paul was a very accomplished and respected Pharisee. He also was known to be a Roman citizen which gives him a respected level under the Roman occupation. Since experiencing Christ and changing his direction in his belief of God, he has been a highly effective evangelist, especially to the Gentiles. Why would he say this is garbage in light of his identity in Christ? This talk does not fit the social norms of Paul’s day or of our day.

The truth which Paul discovered is that his most important identifier is found in his relationship with Christ Jesus. Being identified as a follower, believer, and joint heir with Christ was Paul’s greatest accomplishment. This is an important discovery for us as well. Being identified in and with Christ becomes the unchanging determinate of who we are as individuals. The burden of achieving is lessened because we know that in Christ we have achieved the greatest reward. Having to prove ourselves to obtain value no longer is required. Our value is now found in being a child of God, loved by God, redeemed by Christ and identified as righteous.

What Is Needed

Read 1 Kings 19:1-9

Life can have moments of great discouragement. There can be times when a person perceives a great deal of effort is being exerted but little progress seems to be obtained. Some describe this as “beating my head against a wall.” The idea of giving up comes into the person’s mind. It may appear that there is no chance of success. The discouragement seems to take over a person’s thinking and will. Then a surprising and unexpected change occurs. A new energy emerges in the person. There is a renewed vigor to continue and move forward. A lot of effort may still be required yet a feeling of hope returns.

Elijah faced a great time of discouragement. He had been holding Ahab accountable as God instructed but Ahab was listening to the counsel of Jezebel, his wife, instead. Jezebel greatly disliked Elijah because he was a threat to her and her following of Baal. Elijah had defeated the prophets of Baal and they were killed in the process. This angered Jezebel and she vowed to kill Elijah. Elijah fled in fear to the wilderness outside Beersheba. He is extremely discouraged and ready to quit. He even asks God to end his life before falling asleep. When Elijah is awakened, he finds food and drink provided to renew his energy. After falling asleep and waking a second time, he was encouraged to eat and drink more because the journey ahead would be long. Elijah was renewed and re-energized enough to travel to Horeb where he found shelter and rest.

Our journey can be a long one. We can become weary and discouraged. The idea of giving up can dominate our thoughts. During such a period, we would do well to remember Elijah’s story. When Elijah reached the point that he thought it would be better to die instead of continue, God provided what would be necessary for the journey to continue. God will always do the same for us. A certain person, a specific resource, a special message will arrive to join us on the journey. We will be fed, renewed and encouraged so with a new vigor we can journey on. When God perceives we have completed our journey, then rest will come and we will find blessing.

Needing the Lord

There are times when a person may not wish to admit the need to seek out help. It may be due to a sense of self pride. The barrier may be a feeling of shame or inadequacy. A person may not want to be considered a burden on someone else. Whatever the cause, the person does not reach out and admit to anyone their need for help. For anyone facing such a time, this song by Matt Maher reminds us that there is freedom found when we reach out to the Lord.

Our Lord stands always at the ready to assist each one of us. There is no judgment or shaming coming from the Lord. We find rest, support, love and hope in the Lord.

The Potter

Read Isaiah 64:8

Take a moment to look at this artwork created by Nicole Smith. As I gazed at this oil painting, the verse from Isaiah came into my mind. This verse acknowledges that God is the one who has created each of us. God’s hands have been on us and our lives since the day we were conceived. It is important to remember that God has not completed the work of molding us. Each day the molding and shaping of us continues and God’s hands remain on us.

We are not perfected pieces YET. There are times when we cave in on a side and need to be reshaped. We can collapse into a lump because of life’s pressures or our weaknesses. God does not give up on us when we appear to be ruined but gently works with us to begin our re-creation. When the world sees us as a useless lump of clay, God sees the masterpiece which we can become.

“You are the potter. I am the clay. Mold me and make me. This is what I pray.” – Change My Heart, Oh God – Eddie Espinosa

To Give or To Teach

Read Acts 3:1-10

There is a very old adage which has a much disputed origin. The adage is: “Give a man fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” The concept of alleviating poverty by providing a means of self-sufficiency is found throughout history. Chinese philosophers, novelists, newspapers and charity workers have all been credited with some aspects of this adage. According to quoteinvestigator.com, Anne Isabella Thackery Ritchie deserves to be credited with the origin. Trying to be of service to someone in need is admirable. Choosing the best way to meet that need can be the biggest challenge. This adage causes us to evaluate the greatest action to choose with the opportunity to have longevity.

In the passage from Acts, we see Peter and John called upon to meet the needs of a man who was unable to walk so he sat at the temple gate begging every day. The man needed money in order to purchase necessities on which he could survive. Peter saw an opportunity to provide something which would be life changing, not merely life sustaining. Peter showed the man how to walk and stand.

We, like Peter, can provide a long-term change for people. The easy route when we are called upon to assist someone is to provide for the immediate need. This can be accomplished in the quickest amount of time and create the least amount of cost to us. However, we truly can make a meaningful difference if we invest our time in gaining an understanding of the source of the need. With this understanding, we then are able to provide whatever is necessary to reduce or eliminate the source of the immediate need. This will create a stronger possibility of the need not occurring again.

Let us follow Ritchie’s adage and Peter’s example.

Ingrafted Relationships

Read Romans 11:1-18

Since moving to our current home, I have become much more involved in the landscaping choices and maintenance. My participation is on the simpler side of these activities. My partner does the harder work in terms of planting and major pruning. I am more of a visionary and trimmer of small plants. I also assumed the responsibility of keeping plants outdoors hydrated. As I have become more active in landscaping there is much which I have learned but there is also a greater awareness of how much more I need to learn. I am clearly not at the point where I could graft any of our plants or control the pollination of any. I do have a rudimentary understanding of both however. I greatly enjoy the success which we have had with our landscaping. Now if I could just figure out how to get some of our plants to grow faster.

I share this information regarding landscaping at our house because in Paul’s letter to the Romans, he is using plant husbandry as an image when discussing Jews and Gentiles. Paul’s letter to the Romans is an apologetic in regard to Jesus for the Roman Jews primarily and the non-Jewish (Gentile) Roman believers secondarily. His intent is to prove that Jesus is the Messiah. At this point in the letter, Paul is explaining the relationships between Jewish and Gentile believers. He indicates that while there is a majority of Jews who have rejected Jesus as the Messiah, God has never rejected the Jews. The Jews who have not rejected Jesus are a remnant who God has saved by grace. The rejection which others have made opened access to the Gentiles. Through their rejection, the Gentiles have been brought into God’s fold, ingrafted to the tree of life. Paul also states that the Jews who have rejected Jesus will always be given the opportunity to rejoin God’s tree. Then he gives a warning to the Gentile believer. He warns that the Gentile believers should never consider themselves superior to the Jews who rejected Jesus. All are supported by God, the source of life.

This passage speaks to all of us about relating to one another. Whether we are considering the Christian-Jewish relationship or any relationship between Christians and non-Christians, including atheists or agnostics, we are to view others as equal branches on God’s tree. The first branch of the tree were the Hebrew people and then God chose to engraft other branches of the human race. This truth must inform and guide our words and actions as we engage in a highly diversified humanity, a humanity in which every branch is a creation of God.

Opening the Eyes

Read Mark 8:22-26

In the story of Jesus healing a blind man near the town of Bethsaida, we see the power of Jesus to open that which has been closed. Jesus takes the blind man who has been brought to him outside of the village. The man is taken out of his comfort zone, his familiar. Once outside the village

Jesus touches his eyes and then asks the man to describe what he sees. The man’s description indicates to us that his sight is only partially restored. Like Paul describes in 1 Corinthians, “For now we see in a mirror, dimly…” (1 Corinthians 13:12, NRSV) Jesus touches the man’s eyes again and the man’s eyesight is fully restored.

We are spiritually like the blind man. We are unable to see Jesus in a spiritual way. We remain in the familiar because we are unable to navigate safely in the spiritual realm. Then someone brings us to Jesus. Jesus takes us out of our comfort zone. Our spirits are touched by the Lord’s Spirit. At first we can only partially see the fullness of Christ and only partially understand the grace and magnitude of the Lord’s love. There will come a day when our hearts will be touched by the Spirit again and we will be open to see the completeness of our Lord. 

For now we pray this…

Receiving Good News

Read Luke 2:8-14

Television stations and newspapers occasionally choose to bring to the people what has come to be known as a “feel good” or “human interest” story. This attempt to bring out some good news about something positive happening in the area is usually infrequent or relegated to a specific day once a week at best. The news media is more inclined to deliver bad, tragic and/or scandalous news. The reason given for this skew towards the negative is that “bad news sells.” This view implies that a majority of people clammer for bad news. A look at what people post or share on social media supports this implication.

The passage lifted up today is familiar to many people and associated with Christmas. Luke provides the longest narrative in regard to the actual birth of Jesus. Today’s passage includes the appearance of angels to shepherds who are in the fields tending a flock of animals. When the first angel, messenger of God, is visible to the shepherds, they respond in fear because of the out-of-the-ordinary vision. The angel gives a standard greeting which is intended to bring calm to the situation. Then the angel states that the purpose of the vision is to bring a message of good news. This message is that the Savior, or the Messiah, has been born. The angel tells where the birth has occurred and the verifying sign that this has taken place. The news is intended to invoke great joy among the shepherds and all people. Then a large group of angels appear to sing of joy and praises to place the receivers of the news into a joy-filled mindset.

On the infrequent occasions when the news media shares a story of good news, it is true that a sensation of happiness or joy usually comes over us. Imagine having a vision in which a good news message from God is delivered. All the emotions surrounding Luke’s account would understandably accompany such a vision. Over 2000 years after the time in which this event could have taken place, these emotions can still arise as this story is told. Knowing that Jesus was born so that through his life, ministry, death, and resurrection each one of us can be fully in relationship with God is unquestionably good news. This is news which should not be relegated to one month or one day of our year. This is news which is intended to overcome the bad news of every day in our lives. This good news does bring joy into every moment in which it is told.

Remind yourself daily of this good news. Then go and tell this good news to all people.

Treasures

Read Matthew 6:19-24

After the stock market crash beginning in October of 1929 and the ensuing collapse of many banks, the United States population changed its whole perception of money and savings. Adding to this was the onset of the dust storms wiping out the crops of the midwestern plains due to severe drought conditions. Unemployment rose at a devastating rate. Those who survived all these economic disasters began to store whatever they could obtain in their homes as an attempt to safeguard against future losses. The birth of a hoarders mindset developed out of these experiences. A person’s earthly treasures, as meager at they might be, were hidden away and guarded at all costs.

The writer of Matthew’s gospel shared a series of lessons Jesus taught. We find this series in chapter six of the gospel and have come to refer to them as the beatitudes. One of these lessons speaks of treasures and how we handle them. Jesus teaches us to store our treasures in heaven. He says that where our treasures are, that is where our hearts will be. What we let into ourselves creates either light or darkness in our lives. Jesus warns that we cannot have two masters in our lives. 

The mention of what we let into our lives may seem out of place at first but actually fits when given a further inspection. Jesus is speaking about what is most important in our lives, what we treasure. These are the items to which we give priority. As part of his warning, Jesus says that the influences we allow in our lives can work to enlighten us regarding our priorities or can blind us to the right priorities. This lesson is about what are our priorities, especially our top priority.

Looking at what we protect and strive for in life makes it clear what we prioritize. These are the treasures of our lives. Things of this earth have a limited lifespan whether it be materialistic, people, or even relationships. Those aspects of our spiritual life are eternal, as is our relationship with God. Jesus is teaching us that our priority should be on God and the spiritual matters of life because these are the aspects that last forever.

Needing Equipped

Read Hebrews 13:20-21

When you are preparing to tackle a project, it is important to make sure you gather all necessary items before you begin the work. If you are making a food dish, you need to make sure you have all of the ingredients. In addition to having the ingredients, you also need to have the utensils and cookware which will allow you to prepare and cook whatwer dish you are making. If your project is a household repair or addition, having the necessary materials and tools is required. Completing a project demands a person to be properly equipped.

As the letter to the Hebrews is coming to a conclusion, the author lifts a brief prayer. The petition, or hope, is that God would equip the believers. The task set forth is doing God’s will, not an easy task for any human. The letter writer knows that the only way the believers might be successful in doing God’s will is if God gives them the necessary items to accomplish the task. Humanity has proven time and again a lack of being properly equipped.

A favorite quote of mine is by Rick Yancey who wrote in The Fifth Wave, “God doesn’t call the equipped, son. God equips the called. And you have been called.” This quote applies to all who strive to be disciples of Jesus Christ. Anyone who has accepted the mantle of ordained ministry quickly becomes aware of all their inadequacies and being ill-equipped for such a calling. But all who strive to follow Christ’s example and teachings have the same experience of feeling ill-equipped. Throughout all of Scripture we witness great leaders, teachers, prophets and apostles voice their apprehensions in regard to adequately fulfilling God’s will. This reality should drive us to God in prayer; seeking the equipping only God can provide.