Eternal...

Week 29:

Psalm 119:89 Your word, Lord, is eternal;  it stands firm in the heavens.

The more I live in the kingdom of God, the more I see Him beyond scripture.  God is interwoven in the fabric of our lives and world.  We may not always see or acknowledge God’s presence, but He’s there.  With that being said, I am also continually amazed how His Word applies to everything I do.

Growing up, I fought off a touch of disbelief that God’s Word applied to every situation in my life.  In my head, I believed those who preached that God’s Word can be used in every situation, yet in my heart I still had doubt.  Occasionally, I still do.  However, the older I get and the more life situations I experience, I see His Word apply more and more.  God’s Word is eternal.  No other book has applied to life over the course of time as His Scriptures. 

I’m not talking about justifying new ways of life through scripture.  I’m not talking about twisting scripture to fit life.  I have done a little of both and found that as time passed, that type of interpretation does not work long.  What I do notice is that at the right time, the Spirit reveals how I have been following God fits within His Word. 

One of the keys to seeing when God’s Word fits is simply knowledge of His Word.  To know that a scripture is applying to a life situation, I have to be in the Word enough to have it written on my heart.  I cannot understand the eternal impact of the Bible without reading eh Bible. 

Another key is wisdom by experience.  I had to have lived some life before I could see manifestations of God’s Word in my life.  As I touched on before, I have incorrectly applied Scripture in places in my life to find later I was off base.  Those experiences coupled with watching Scriptural truth unfold in life have given me experiences with God which revealed His eternal Word.  When I was young, I despised how the older generation would tell me that I was young and would learn.  To some degree, I had more life experiences than many my age, yet, I still lacked the wisdom and maturity that comes with age.  Now that I am older, I see that more clearly.

The final key, and probably the most difficult, is having faith in the Holy Spirit.  First, I have to recognize when the Spirit is speaking to my spirit.  Second, I have to notice when the Spirit is pointing to Scripture and its application to life experience.  Learning to see, follow, and have faith in the Holy Spirit is still a challenge…a lifelong challenge.

For us as believers, His Word is where we start.  His Word is what is on our hearts.  His Word applies all life situations.  His Word is eternal.

Questions/challenges:

1.       How did this scripture land with you?

2.      Describe a recent life situation where you clearly saw scripture apply.

3.      What made it clear?

4.      When you hear the word “eternal”, what comes to mind?

5.      Pay attention to your life situations.  Notice where you are and where you are not applying God’s eternal Word.

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Admission of fear...

Week 28:

Isaiah 41:10 So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

I have written a devotional thought using this passage before here.  This week has some similarities yet has a different flavor.  I reminded often that the Word of God is so rich with application that I usually could write several different thoughts out of a same passage.

All though out the Bible we read the words, “do not be afraid, do not fear, do not be anxious, fear not, and/or similar words or phrases.  For years I have hidden my fear thinking that I was faithless or sinful for feeling afraid in any way.  I have covered my fear, lied about my fear, avoided my fear, and/or ignored my fear.  But something stood out to me recently around these passages…an assumption of fear.  God speaks these words because He knows the subject is feeling fear or going to feel fear.  Fear is inevitable. But, like a good Church boy, I have hidden my fear for fear of sinning in my fear.

There are four major ways in which I hide my fear.  The first is through anger.  I hide both fear and sadness through unhealthy anger.  The fear creates such uneasiness that I will use my anger to back anything away that may cause be to be afraid.  On the surface, this anger seems to drive me to accomplish things.  However, instead of this anger pushing me through my fear, it actually pushes the fear far away from my consciousness only to return again, usually with my intensity. 

The second way I hide my fear is through detachment.  I deceive myself into believing that my fear is gone if I detach from emotion completely.  This allows me to appear that I have become stoic yet all the while I have the emotion of fear running strong in my heart.  So strong at times, that I end up acting in a way that I look back and ask, “What was that about?” 

A third way that I hide my fear is through analysis.  This is similar to detachment for analysis requires little to no emotion.  I begin to analyze my fear.  If I had an answer to my fear, then I can conquer it with logic.  The problem here is that it causes me to become a poser and wear a mask to hide my fear.  I become somebody I am not.  People notice my mask; react to it, causing me to be afraid that I am acting strangely.  So, I analyze, change who I am again and create the whole pattern over again.  What a vicious cycle.

The fourth way that I hide my fear; is by ignoring it and hope it goes away.  Sometimes this shows up by my recklessly pushing through my fear with being attentive of the fear.  I act as if the fear is not even there.  When I look up, I have gone down a path that is so far of course of where I should be, it takes a long time to get back to where I need to be.  Once I get back, the fear is still there. 

So, how do I deal with this fear?  Faith!  God knows I will fear.  I have to face that fear, work through that fear, and come out on the other side all through faith.  See, when God gives a “Do not fear…” statement, He also gives an instead statement.  When I have fear, I can look it in the eye and walk through it with an assurance from the “instead” statement.  An example is from the passage for this thought:  “…for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”  I must face my fear with the faith that God will walk with me through the fear to the other side.  And…I will grow from this walk. 

Questions/challenges:

1.      Where do you use anger to cover your fear?

2.      Where do you use detachment to cover your fear?

3.      Where do you use analysis to cover your fear/

4.      Where do you use ignoring to cover your fear?

5.      What steps of faith do you need to take this week to face your fear and walk through to the other side?

6.      Ask God this week to show His “instead” statement.

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My kids will likely need therapy...

Week 27:

Genesis 4:1-17; 25-26 Adam made love to his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. She said, “With the help of the Lord I have brought forth a man.” ² Later she gave birth to his brother Abel.  Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. ³ In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord. ⁴ And Abel also brought an offering—fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, ⁵ but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.  ⁶ Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? ⁷ If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.”  ⁸ Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.”  While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.  ⁹ Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?”  “I don’t know,” he replied. “Am I my brother’s keeper?”  ¹⁰ The Lord said, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground. ¹¹ Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. ¹² When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth.”  ¹³ Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is more than I can bear. ¹⁴ Today you are driving me from the land, and I will be hidden from your presence; I will be a restless wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.”  ¹⁵ But the Lord said to him, “Not so; anyone who kills Cain will suffer vengeance seven times over.” Then the Lord put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him. ¹⁶ So Cain went out from the Lord’s presence and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden.  ¹⁷ Cain made love to his wife, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Enoch. Cain was then building a city, and he named it after his son Enoch.  ²⁵ Adam made love to his wife again, and she gave birth to a son and named him Seth, saying, “God has granted me another child in place of Abel, since Cain killed him.”²⁶ Seth also had a son, and he named him Enosh.  At that time people began to call on the name of the Lord.

We recently took a vacation with our kids that was the most days and longest distance we have ever taken.  We drove…2500 miles…five of us together for eight days.  Many can relate to this type of trip.  When there are five family members together in that type of situation for very long, conflict is inevitable.  I know that as we reflect back on this trip, even this close to its end, we will have nothing but fond memories.  However, during those times where somebody was on somebody else’s nerves, I began to realize that my kids are likely going to need therapy at some point in their lives…and it is because of me.

My wife and I have been intentional in raising our kids.  They have known nothing but a Church life.  We have limited what they can view on TV and listen to music wise.  I work at a Christian School and my kids have known nothing but a Christian education.  We have prayed for them and with them.  We really have put a lot of effort into being involved in our kid’s lives at the same time, giving them some space.  Even after all that effort, I know that I personally have missed some things.  I have projected my wounds, my faults, my emotional imbalance, etc. onto my kids. 

One thing I have said many times is that no one hands new parents a manual on how to raise children the day that child is born.  And, truthfully, there is very little about raising children in the Bible.  There are some general thoughts and words around how you show God to our children, but so much is left out.  My wife and I have done the best we can to apply the Psalms, Proverbs, human stories of Biblical characters where ever and whenever we could. 

So, why did I choose this passage for this article?  Because the first recorded parent didn’t necessarily get it right either.  Adam and Eve had direct access to God.  Yet, Cain still killed Abel.  In fact, God talked directly to Cain prior to his act and still Cain followed through.  There are other examples of kids as well…David, Aaron, Eli. 

I don’t want to give myself a pass here, but I take comfort in knowing I am not alone in my mistakes in raising my kids.  Overall, they are good kids.  They follow God, or strive to anyway.  However, they will need help and guidance emotionally from someone else at some point in life.  I realize that fact, accept that fact, and hope that when they look back on life, they realize I did the best I knew how.  I hope they are aware of the fall of humankind beginning in the Garden of Eden.  I hope that they see that although we are responsible for ourselves and our choices; there is something not quite right in this world until Jesus returns to make all things new.  That is the hope I have to rest in when I look at what I have done with my kids.

Questions/challenges:

1.      As a parent, how has this landed with you?

2.      If you are not a parent, what can you draw from this as you reflect on your parents?

3.      What action is God calling you to do from what you have read today?

4.      What conversation do you need to have with your kids/parents?

5.      Pay attention to what God is asking you to do around this this week.  Is it to forgive, make amends, have a conversation, explain, and/or ask forgiveness of someone?  Take action.

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Majesty...

Week 26:

This week, spend time in meditation over this passage.  Follow the instructions below the passage as your guide.

Job 37:19-34

¹⁹ “Tell us what we should say to him;
    we cannot draw up our case because of our darkness.
²⁰ Should he be told that I want to speak?
    Would anyone ask to be swallowed up?
²¹ Now no one can look at the sun,
    bright as it is in the skies
    after the wind has swept them clean.
²² Out of the north he comes in golden splendor;
    God comes in awesome majesty.
²³ The Almighty is beyond our reach and exalted in power;
    in his justice and great righteousness, he does not oppress.
²⁴ Therefore, people revere him,
    for does he not have regard for all the wise in heart?”

You will be reading this passage three times following the guidelines below:

1.  First reading.  Read the passage through, one time, slowly.  Pause between each clause.  After you finish this first reading, be silent for a minute or two.

2.  Second reading.  Read the text slowly once again, pausing between phrases.  But this time pause even longer and be aware if any of the words or phrases that catch your attention, or seem to stand out in some way.  Make a mental note of those.  After you finish the second reading, write down those special words or phrases.

3.  Third reading.  Reread the passage up to the word or phrase that touched you in some way.  When you reach that word or phrase, stop and repeat it a few times.

4.  Pondering.  Reflect for a while on the phrase that moved you.  Repeat it a few more times.  Let the words interact with your thoughts, your memories or any other Bible passages that come to mind.  Let it touch your heart, desires and fears.  Begin to wonder, “What might God want to say to me specifically”?

5.  Prayer.  Turn that last question into a prayer, asking God, “What is the word you have for me in this passage, God?  Is there anything you want to say to me today?”  Listen.  Write down anything you sense God might be saying to you.

6.  Rest.  Be still and silent for a while.  Enjoy being in the presence of God.  In this step you move from doing to being.  Simply be for a while.

7.  Response.  Ask yourself and God, “What am I being called to do as a result of the word I have been given?”  Perhaps you are feeling challenged to love God more, or to accept some aspect of who you are, or to serve someone you know or to begin changing some aspect of your character.  Whatever it is, write it out.  “Today God is calling me to be a more ______ person.  Be with me God and teach me how.”   Thank God for the word and the calling you have been given.

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Where am I exposed...?

Week 25:

Ephesians 6:16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.

This week I am re-using a passage that I have blogged on before in the article titled:  Shield of Faith…  I am constantly amazed how God can use just a few words and still tell me so much about myself, my life, and how He is working on my heart and soul.  I have mentioned before several times that I have been on this transformational journey over the last several years.  During this journey, this passage has been speaking to me in several ways and over a long period.  One of those ways has shown up for me in the form of how I am exposed to the “flaming arrows of the evil one.” 

There have been three points of revelation where this passage has shown up for me.  One of those areas of transformation work for me has been my involvement with The Crucible Project.  As I have mentioned before, The Crucible Project is a ministry dedicated to helping men live lives of authenticity, integrity, power, purpose, and passion within their Christian journey.  Through participating and staffing in this work, I have found a group of men who hold me accountable in my life and help point out places where I need to putting up my Shield of Faith in order to extinguish the flaming arrows.

Another area of transformation work for me has been the study of Theophostic Prayer.  In a nutshell, this work helps one replace the lies that he/she believes about himself/herself with the truth that Jesus know about him/her.  One of the things that Dr. Ed Smith points out is that reactions to life are a form of exposure or uncovering of lies we believe about ourselves.  When I read this, I immediately thought of the above passage.  The evil one is shooting flaming arrows in places where the shield is not covering. 

I third area of study for me has been around how I view God.  There have been three sources of revelation for me around this part of my journey:  First has been mentioned in the form of my continual work with The Crucible Project.  The second has been a book that helped me see the narrative that I project onto God.  This book is The Good and Beautiful God.   Third, an area of work I have been experiencing with Dmitri Bilgere and his idol-breaking work from his book Gateways to God.  These three sources have helped me to see how I view God vs. how He really is character-wise.

The three of these transformational guides have helped me to begin looking into my heart and my soul to discover where I am exposed.  When I think of a shield that a soldier might use, I notice how it does not cover every part of his body.  From this, I see that he has to be constantly paying attention to where the enemy may strike next.  When I have a reaction to life that is out of balance emotionally, I need to ask myself, “Where am I exposed?  What has caused this reaction?  What lie might I believe about myself?  What idol may I be exalting up in the place of God?”   

By being exposed, I am able to move the Shield of Faith into the position(s) it needs to be in order to protect my heart and soul.  Instead of looking at blaming others for my reaction to life, I need to look at where I am exposed and where my shield needs to be placed.  When I am overwhelmed with bitterness, where am I exposed?  When I am judgmental of others, where am I exposed?  When I fly off the handle with unbalanced anger or rage, where am I exposed?  When I am blaming others for my circumstances, where am I exposed?  When I am caught up in gossip, where am I exposed?  The list can go on.

My challenge is to recognize what is going on and to ask God to reveal to me what is the source of my exposure?  What transformational work do I need to be doing now?  Where do I need to strengthen my faith and place the shield?

Questions/challenges:

1.      After reading this article, where do you sense you may be exposed?

2.      What indicators are telling you that you are exposed?

3.      Where are you out of balance emotionally?

4.      Where in your life right now do you suppose you need soul work?

5.      Pay attention this week to where you react to life in an unbalanced way.  Ask God to reveal to you where you need to place your Shield of Faith.

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Welcome to the Table...

Week 24:

Note:  This week’s Devotional Thought is written by guest writer Ryan Lassiter.  Ryan is the Director of Children and Young Families Ministry at Golf Course Road Church of Christ in Midland, TX.  Ryan authors his own blog titled: My Missional Journey.  Be sure to visit his site.  One of Ryan’s passions is to teach others to look at the Bible from a narrative point of view.  I am honored that he agreed to author this post.

Luke 24: 15-16 – “¹⁵ While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them, ¹⁶ but their eyes were kept from recognizing him.”

Luke 24: 30-35 – “³⁰ When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. ³¹ Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight.  ³² They said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?”  ³³ That same hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven and their companions gathered together.  ³⁴ They were saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and he has appeared to Simon!”  ³⁵ Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread.”

I have learned lately that when we read Scripture, maybe our first question ought to be, “What does this tell us about God?”  So often we read and immediately ask, “How does this apply to me?”  The more I learn about Scripture, the more I believe the underlying story is always God.  It is His story that testifies to His faithfulness.  Luke 24 reveals something profound to me about the way in which God works.

This is an interesting story.  We have two of Jesus’ disciples on the road headed to Emmaus.  They are perplexed by what just happened.  They have spent a considerable amount of time following this man they thought was the Messiah, and now he has suffered and died.  Then we see Jesus come alongside their journey and interject himself into their conversation.  Verses 15 and 16 are very interesting because while Jesus is present with them in body and conversation, the text says their eyes could not recognize who he was.  So Jesus walks with these men and explains to them about the suffering ways of the Messiah.  The story then reaches a climax in verses 30 and 31.  Jesus gathers these two men around a table, breaks bread with them, and it is in this moment that their eyes are opened and they recognize Jesus.

It is fascinating to me how God reveals himself.  It is the announcement of a king, but not an announcement from the palaces of Rome or even from the temple in Jerusalem.  God announces his kingdom coming to shepherds in a field.  It is an announcement of a king that has been born in a backwater village in the tiny insignificant town of Bethlehem.  And on top of that, this king of the world has been placed in a feeding trough.  God has finally come and established his dwelling among humans, and he has done it in the form of a human.  It is simple.  It appears foolish in some regards.  However, it is the simplicity of the coming of God that is so complex and profound.  God reveals himself through the form of a human, born of a teenage virgin outside of the realm of significance in the ancient world, and placed in a cow’s drinking dish.

So, at the end of Luke’s story, it is fitting that it is in the simple and yet so complex setting of table fellowship that Jesus reveals himself to his disciples.  These two disciples struggle to see Jesus for who he is.  They struggle to recognize a suffering Messiah who has been crucified like a criminal outside of the city gates and placed in a borrowed tomb.  And to reveal himself, Jesus does not invite these two to see him on his throne.  Rather, he invites them to gather around his table.  When he breaks bread with them, their eyes are opened.  It is in the simple act of table fellowship and bread breaking that the disciples see the Lord. 

This, I believe is why we commune.  This is why gathering around the Lord’s Table every week is so important to me.  Sometimes it seems rote and emotionless.  Other times the moment swims with meaning and feelings.  Every time, Jesus meets us in that moment.  God is revealed to us.  We look around while we eat the bread and drink the cup and we see a diverse group of people gathered around one table.  Everyone has enough.  No one goes in need.  All are welcomed and all have their fill.  No one is greater or lesser than another.  We gather around the table and get a glimpse of what it looks like when God’s future becomes a present reality.

So, we come to the Lord’s Table in a seemingly simple act of breaking bread and Christ is revealed to us.  We are shaped a bit more into his image to better live into his mission.  We are filled with his presence.  We then leave that table with a picture of what it looks like to welcome, to share, to be hospitable, and to love.  We leave filled with Christ in order to go and be Christ.  As the men in this story, we go and tell how God’s world has been made known to us in the breaking of the bread.

Questions/challenges:

1.      Where has God revealed Himself in way you did not expect?

2.      How do you normally approach the table of communion?

3.      In what ways have your eyes been opened around the breaking of bread; like the two disciples with Jesus?

4.      Next time you gather around the table, pay attention to how God shows up.  Look at how Christ reveals himself to you. 

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Beginning with the oldest...

Week 23:

John 8:7-9 ⁷ When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” ⁸ Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.  ⁹ At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there.

The older I get, the wiser I become.  It is not because of age necessarily, but because of the experiences I have gained during my aging.  What does this have to do with the chosen passage?  Well, in a training recently, this passage was used as the basis.  While the group being trained discussed aspects for the passage, one man repeated “…the older ones first…”  And it was repeated by yet another in the group.  At this moment, I thought to myself, “There is something in that.” 

This passage has a focus on both the faults of the Pharisees and the grace and mercy of Jesus.  And it should be.  My pulling this piece out and going somewhere different than the story is sometimes where God speaks loudest to me.  I am continually amazed from where He speaks to me so unexpected.   To me, as long as a passage is not going against the character of God, it is useful for building me further and deeper into the man He intends me to be. 

With that being said…notice how the Pharisees, men full of themselves and self-righteous have no answer for Jesus.  And, the ones who notice first are the oldest.  These men lead the way.  Life experience has told them that this is not the hill they are willing to die on.  Jesus has them and they know it.  Even in self-righteousness, the Pharisees see their own sin and cannot argue against Jesus’ reasoning.

One of our former preachers once said, “When I was young I sinned all I want.  Now that I am older, I sin more than I want.”  The experience of living a number of years has told me much the same.  Three things come up for me as this passage finds it’s landing on my heart.

First, the wisdom of the advanced aged person is not so silly and binding as it once was when I was younger.  I am now beginning to see why patience is a virtue.  I was frustrated by how the older generation would “wait and see” how situations would unfold before making a decision.  Now, I am beginning to learn how valuable “wait and see” is in life.

Second, “older ones” still lead, and lead well.  Yes, there is a large subset of the current young generation that looks upon the “older ones” as silly…and even holds contempt toward them.  Yet, as I see life unfolding and how God works, I notice how the younger generation still follows the “older ones” just like in this passage.  I could imagine the conversation between the two generations after they walked away.  I bet there was even some divisive talk.

Third, I am finding myself growing more and more fond of the “older ones.”  I have learned much even when I disagreed with those ahead of me.  And now that I am on the cusp of that next tier of life, I am beginning to see the wisdom of what I used to think were questionable decisions.  There is just no replacement for wisdom and experience.  It is a great tool in replacing youthfulness. 

The challenge for me…and you is to look to the “older ones.”  Even among the self-righteous, they showed true wisdom.

Questions/challenges:

1.      When this article drilled down to the thought around the “older ones”, what did you think and/or feel?

2.      What other thoughts did you have as you read both the passage and this article?

3.      Where have you discounted the “older ones” in your life?

4.      What have you learned since then?

5.      This week, find one “older one” in your life and bless him/her for his/her life, experience, guidance, and wisdom.

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