God, enjoying life with me
Ecclesiastes 9: God takes pleasure in your pleasure!
I know that a common view of God is that heās against our enjoying life and that his favorite word is “no!” That is very mistaken. Itās true that God has a lot of “no’s” for us. Then again, a loving father has a lot of “no’s” for his children too. When his toddler picks something up off the floor and is about to put it in his mouth his mom and dad say, in chorus: “No!” Their desire is not to ruin his life, but to protect him from something that might be downright hazardous to his health. Even so, the Lord has some prohibitions for us and every one of them is for our benefit. The other side of the coin is wonderfully positive. When I enjoy some new discovery, or take pleasure in one of God’s many gifts to me; when I laugh out loud as one of my precious grandchildren comes up with a terrific one liner — at that moment God laughs with me. The writer of Ecclesiastes struggles with the meaning of life and is trying to understand just what it is that will bring real satisfaction. However, he has this one just right: “God takes pleasure in your pleasure!”
Take Away: All the joys of life come from our Heavenly Father who takes pleasure in our pleasure.
Tag: love
Devotional on Song of Songs
Night at the opera
Song of Songs 1: The Song — best of all — Solomon’s song!
I confess here and now that I don’t know what I’m going to do with Song of Songs. I can tell you this; my devotional journey through these eight chapters isn’t going to take long! As my beloved wife will tell you Iām not the most romantic fellow in the world so this portion of Scripture doesn’t really resonate very well with me. I can write about the technical side of things though. Song of Songs is, basically, an opera. There are different characters and they interact in telling of the passion of two lovers. The woman, the man, and a chorus sing to one another all through the opera. The KJV doesn’t make this very clear, so, for us who were introduced to this book by that translation, this was a very confusing book. The Message, and most current translations tell us who is singing when and that helps a bit. Some have “Christianized” Song of Songs by making it an allegory of Christ’s love for the Church. Iām not knowledgeable enough to debate the point but it seems to me that it’s more of a celebration of God’s gift of human sexuality than anything else. To be honest about it, I’m a lot more comfortable with the sexuality of Song of Songs when itās left in that realm and not made into a spiritual allegory so I intend to leave it at that. Finally, Solomon is the writer and apparently the male character in the opera is based on him. Because of that, this book is also called Song of Solomon. When I remember how many wives Solomon had I have to smile and wonder which of his wives inspired this opera. However, I do understand that many of his marriages were political in nature, basically arraigned to seal some treaty between Israel and a neighboring nation. The actual identity of the woman is, so far as I can see, unknown to us.
Take Away: We believe this book of the Bible is the inspired Word of God, so we read it and consider it even when we donāt fully understand it.
Devotional on Song of Songs
Donāt just fall in love with being in love
Song of Songs 2: Don’t excite love, don’t stir it up, until the time is ripe — and you’re ready.
The woman, who co-stars in the opera, is speaking to her “sisters in Jerusalem” and she has some good advice for them. She tells them to wait for the right time and for the right person to be sent into their lives before falling in love. Sometimes young women are more in love with the idea of being in love than they are actually in love. They get emotionally involved with someone who has a very different agenda than they do and the result is, at best, disappointment and a feeling of having been used and cheapened. Song of Songs is a celebration of human love and sexuality — and the two are very much linked. The woman who is loved by the King says, “The real thing is worth waiting for — don’t sell out too soon.” Young women across the ages have faced the temptation to do otherwise but to do so is to accept a cheap imitation that won’t last. In Song of Songs, the opera about love, weāre told: “wait, you’ll be glad you did!”
Take Away: The real thing is worth waiting for — don’t sell out too soon.
Devotional on Song of Songs
The power of love
Song of Songs 4: You looked at me, and I fell in love. One look my way and I was hopelessly in love!
Previously I mentioned that some Christians have made this book into an allegory of Christ’s love for the Church. As I said then, I’m not all that convinced, although passages like this do remind me of scriptures like Ephesians 4 where Iām told that: “Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy…and to present her to himself as a radiant church… holy and blameless.” That passage describes Christ’s passionate love for the Church, a love that takes him to the cross. In the portion of Song of Songs that’s before me today, the man describes the power of his love for the woman. In Ephesians I see the power of Christ’s love for the Church. Whether or not Song of Songs is intended to connect me to Christ and his love for us, Iām reminded in this passage of the power of love and the sacrifice one who loves is willing to make for his beloved.
Take Away: āLoveā is, ultimately, an action wordā¦real love takes action on behalf of the one who is loved.
Devotional on Proverbs
Dare to discipline
Proverbs 13: A refusal to correct is a refusal to love.
I love being around my grandkids. Thereās nothing better than spending time with these little ones. However, believe it or not, even my own precious grandchildren arenāt always perfect! Iām sure they come closer to perfect than any grandchildren who’ve ever lived, but still, there are a few little things that have to be kept in check. Thatās what their dad and mom, along with maybe a little help from their grandparents, are supposed to do. Parents need to provide loving discipline to their children. I’m not trying to debate the value of a particular type of discipline here, but as I read the words “a refusal to correct is a refusal to love” Iām taken by the common sense truth being stated. Parents who love don’t just throw up their hands and let the kids do “whatever.” Loving parents step up to the plate even when theyāre worn out from the day. Even then, they expend the energy to take their children in hand, insisting that they behave themselves within the limits of their capability. The disciplining part of parenting isnāt the fun part, but itās one of the loving parts. As the wise man says, “love your children by disciplining them.”
Take Away: Children are a gift of the Lord, but that gift does come with responsibilities attached.
Devotional on Proverbs
Proverbs 26: When you run out of wood, the fire goes out; when the gossip ends, the quarrel dies down.
As a pastor I have a pretty strong influence on what happens at church. There is, I suppose, always the chance that someone will attempt to take control of a church service but that’s unlikely. I have the main say concerning the order of worship and, of course, what is said in the sermon. However, what happens “out there” during the week is out of my control. Because of that, all the efforts on Sunday to create a loving, supportive family of God can be derailed if that same crowd spends the week fanning the flames of division. Knowing this is humbling to me and it reminds me that Iām not nearly as influential in my own church as I think I am. However, it also reminds me that my greatest resource is not my leadership ability. Instead, my greatest Resource is the One I serve. Itās my desire that the Lord will help me to love people even when theyāre behaving in ways that cause pain. I want to personally set an example of how a sanctified Christian conducts himself, to help people who tend to gossip understand that thereās an underlying spiritual issue, and to pray that the Lord will exhaust their supply of “wood” sooner and not later that the church might be united in love for Christ and one another.
Take Away: Some issues will simply die out and go away if we stop fanning the flames.
Devotional on 1 John
Loving the people of God
1John 5: The proof that we love God comes when we keep his commandments and they are not at all troublesome.
Before moving to other things John says a bit more about love in action. Heās already insisted that to be a follower of God requires more than words or even sincere desire. Again, ālove,ā to him is an āactionā word rather than a āfeelingsā word. To love God is to love the Son and to love the Son is to love those heās brought into the family of God. So what does it mean to love the children of God? Immediately, John takes us back to action. I love Godās people, not by feeling a certain way about them but, rather, by treating them in a certain way. John reminds me that God has given me some commandments concerning how Iām to treat my brothers and sisters. If I love God, Iāll keep those commandments and in doing so Iāll āloveā those who are part of this great family of God. If I want proof of my love of God Iāll find it in how I treat his people. John adds that this isnāt that big a deal because this ālove in actionā thatās required of me isnāt all that troubling. Iām to love people as I love myself. That is, Iām to care about the needs of their lives, their comfort, and their security. Loving self isnāt about feeling a certain way about myself but is, rather, about the action I take on my own behalf. Thatās exactly how Iām to love Godās people.
Take Away: To learn about your relationship with God, take a good look at your relationship to his people.
Devotional on Jonah
Godās man isnāt much like God
Jonah 4: Jonah was furious.
The heart of the book of Jonah isnāt the first part with the oft-repeated big fish story. Instead, itās the last part. Itās here that we find the motor that drives the story. When the reluctant prophet gives in and goes to Nineveh he does so in fear, not that he’ll fail, but that he’ll succeed. Jonah is nationalistic to the core and heād like nothing better than for the capital city of Israelās enemy, Assyria, to be destroyed. Still, with all his failings, Jonah knows a thing or two about God. The priests and other religious leaders of his country may promote a doctrine of Israel having a corner on the Almighty, but Jonah understands that God has compassion on all people. Israel may be the chosen people but that means God wants to use them to bless all the nations on earth, not that God loves them and hates all others. When Jonah runs from God, refusing to go to Nineveh he does so because he understands these things. He understands them, but he doesnāt agree with them. Now that his mission to Nineveh is a success Jonah’s angry with the Lord, not only for sparing his enemies when they repent, but for using him to bring it to pass. In spite of his unique understanding of God, Jonah isnāt much like God at all.
Take Away: God is love.
Devotional on Micah
Micah 6: Heās already made it plain how to live, what to do.
This passage is one of the gems of the Old Testament. Micah asks the rhetorical question: āHow can I…show proper respect to the high God?ā He wonders if bigger offerings will do it: lots of rams and barrels of oil. He wonders if following the practice of the pagans and offering his child as a sacrifice will satisfy the Lord. Having asked the question he then states the answer. God has already made his desires for the human race abundantly clear. Micah says, āItās quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor, be compassionate and loyal in your love, and donāt take yourself too seriously ā take God seriously.ā Micahās insight into Godās purposes for people is breathtaking. Some have called this the āJohn 3:16ā of the Old Testament. I do well to take this dusty old statement of Godās purpose for humanity and use it as a guide to my life. How am I doing on the āfair and just, compassionate and loveā standard set here? Do I have a handle on not taking myself too seriously while taking God very seriously? Thereās nothing in the Bible any more ācontemporaryā than this statement.
Take Away: Am I living up to the standard of the Lord?
Devotional on Mark
Youāre getting warmer
Mark 12: Youāre almost there, right on the boarder of Godās kingdom.
Iāve been in a few discussions with people who want to play āstump the pastor.ā The exchange usually starts with something like, āBeing that youāre a preacher, let me ask you this…ā and off we go to some burning theological issue like where Cainās wife came from. In this passage, Jesus deals with the same level of discussion. The Sadducees bring him their old worn out āwhose wife is she?ā question that theyāve used for years. Others want Jesus to go out of a limb about paying taxes. Standing on the sidelines is a religion scholar with a question. It too is an old one that the rabbis like batting around. Of all the commandments of the Old Testament, which is the most important? Jesus looks the man in the eye and gives him a serious answer. The number one command is that weāre to love God with every fiber of our being. Jesus even goes so far as to throw in a bonus answer. The number two command is to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. This scholar deals with issues like this every day and he responds that heās concluded the same thing and, in fact, heās never heard the answer stated so well. Jesus says to him that heās almost there, just a short step from the kingdom of God. This exchange is so refreshing. On a day when people are lining up to play āstump Jesusā we meet a man whoās on a legitimate spiritual journey. Heās done a lot of thinking about these things and needs just a gentle nudge to close the deal and commit his life to the Lord. Jesus instantly recognizes the difference between the cat and mouse game of the Sadducees and a sincere question from a real seeker of the truth. My prayer for all those who sincerely seek that theyāll find not only the answers to their questions, but, even better, as it was for this good man so long ago, the Answer to the greatest need of life.
Take Away: Those who arenāt playing games but are serious about God will find real answers in Jesus Christ.
Devotional on Luke
Drinking from a fire hose
Luke 6: Our Father is kind; you be kind.
Reading the Sermon on the Mount is like trying to get a drink from a fire hose. Itās not like the parables in which thereās a story followed by the lesson. Instead, thereās one wonderful, challenging, powerful concept after another. As I try to write a devotional for each chapter of the New Testament the challenge is not finding something to write about. Rather, itās trying to dip into the huge stream of material and grab just one concept out of all the concepts and get my mind and heart around it. Right now Iām focusing in on how our Lord says weāre to relate to our enemies. I canāt help but note that Jesus doesnāt talk about how weāre to respond āifā we have enemies. He apparently takes it for granted that some folks arenāt going to like us and some will go so far as to wish us harm. What am I to do about such people? First, Jesus says, Iām to pray for them (ārespond with the energies of prayerā). Second, Iām to return good for evil (āpractice the servant lifeā). Third, Iām to have genuine love for them (ālove your enemiesā). Fourth, Iām to go easy on them (ābe easy on peopleā). Fifth, Iām to realize Iām not so wonderful myself (āwipe that ugly sneer off your own faceā). The key to my relationship to my enemy, according to Jesus is ākindness.ā The measure of that kindness is the kindness our Father shows to us. āOh Lord, let me live a life that reflects your kindness to me, even when I deal with people who arenāt very kind to me.ā
Take Away: The Lord is quite interested in how we treat people who donāt treat us well.
Devotional on John
Love and hate
John 15: Make yourselves at home in my love.
On this night prior to the crucifixion Jesus talks to his disciples in terms of love and hate. He warns them that the same people who hate him will hate them. That hate wonāt be about them as much as it will be about Jesus. His disciples will be so much like their Lord that those who hated him without cause will hate them without cause. Jesus also encourages them to be āat homeā in his love. What an interesting phrase. To be at home is to feel secure and comfortable. Itās to be with family and friends, giving support and receiving the same. Jesus tells his followers to enjoy that kind of comfort in his love. Heās committed to love us even though he already knows our weaknesses and failings. While itās true that I stand amazed in his love itās also true that I have every reason to depend on it and to relax in it. So, there you have it. Out in the world weāre strangers, treated unfairly by people who donāt even know why it is that they donāt like us. On the other hand, weāre upheld by the undeserved, beyond-understanding love of Christ. All in all, itās a pretty good situation.
Take Away: I want to be comfortable in the love of Christ.
Devotional on John
Listening to Jesus pray
John 17: Father, itās time.
This great prayer of Jesus has three parts. The first section concerns our Lordās relationship with his Father. All that has happened and will happen is done for the purpose of displaying the glory of God, a glory shared by Father and Son; a glory that has existed since before the world began. Second, Jesus prays for his disciples. Heās going to depart, but theyāre going to stay. His purpose of bringing glory to the Father will now be their purpose. Jesus prays that everything about his disciples will accomplish that purpose and that theyāll be protected from all that might distract from their mission. Third, Jesus prays for future believers. Again, thereās a prayer for unity of heart and purpose. Our Lord prays that the believers will give evidence that Jesus is the one sent from God because of his love for us. Jesus concludes his prayer by asking the Father to gather all believers to himself, where they can bask in the glory of the Lord, united in love for God and for one another. This passage, my friend, is holy ground. Weāre allowed to listen in to a conversation within the Godhead. We witness the Sonās communion with the Father and then, weāre invited into the conversation. Itās humbling to be allowed in this place today.
Take Away: Godās people are considered āinsiders.ā What an honor!
Devotional on John
Minding my own business
John 21: Master, whatās going to happen to him?
John finishes his story of Jesus with the account of an early morning, and private, encounter with the resurrected Savior. Our Lord and his disciples have breakfast together and then Jesus and Peter go for a walk. Peter, who denied the Lord three times, is now asked three times if he loves Jesus. Each time, as a result of his declaration of love, heās given responsibility in the Kingdom. By the third time, though, Peter is burdened with the repeated question. Jesus responds by explaining to Peter that his love will be his source of strength in difficult days ahead. Heāll be a prisoner and will be led to places he doesnāt want to go. In the midst of such a trial, Peter will find strength in his love for the Lord. Meanwhile, following along is the disciple John. Everyone knows John is Jesusā favorite and Peter wants to know whatās coming for him. Jesus, though, isnāt going there with Peter. Peter needs to worry about Peter and not about the beloved disciple. I think we tend to concern ourselves with what God is doing in the lives of others too much. We forget that we arenāt called to make Christian clones of ourselves but are to āfeed the sheepā and let the Master handle the rest of it. That doesnāt mean Iām not concerned when I see someone struggling or has even lost their way. Of course Iām concerned. Still, I need to be careful to love them and encourage them to follow Jesus and not be too focused on exactly how the Lord might want that to happen in their life.
Take Away: I love others and want to see them allow the Lord to lead their lives, but my main concern is to keep things clear between myself and the Lord.
Devotional on Romans
Freedom
Romans 6: You are dead to sin and alive to God.
The topic is freedom. When I was bound in sin, living a dead end life without hope Jesus came to rescue me. Taking my sin as his own, he carried it to death, stripping it of its grip on me. Then, in the resurrection, the possibility of new life came to me. When I join Christ at the cross I die to sin. When I join him at the tomb on resurrection morning, that resurrection life becomes mine. Now, I stand a free man, made new by the work of Christ. Iām filled with thanksgiving and forever indebted to the One who has made it all possible. The freedom Iāve received is a cherished possession, one that I guard carefully, realizing that some acts are out of bounds for me because to do them would place me back in bondage from whence I came. Instead, I willingly serve the One who gave me freedom, bound, not by sin and death, but by love.
Take Away: Iām boundā¦not by sin, but by Godās love.
Devotional on 1 Corinthians
Giving up a free meal
1Corinthians 8: When you hurt your friend, you hurt Christ.
Youād think that today a discussion about eating meat that’s been offered to an idol can be safely skipped. However, to do so is a mistake. While the literal situation is foreign to me, the principle Paul teaches here is invaluable. In Corinth thereās lots of idol worship. Often people share a meal with their god, offering some to the idol and then having a party in the godās honor with the rest of it. A Christian might receive a friendly invitation to the party. Thatās where thereās a problem. Some Christians think it is fine to attend, that meat is meat and an idol is nothing anyway. Other Christians are just coming out of that idol worshiping culture. Not too long ago they were the ones dining with the idols and to them eating the idolās meat is a step backwards into the old way of life. The church at Corinth has been debating this issue and now Paul weighs in on the subject. He tells them that the issue in play isnāt about meat and idols at all. Rather itās about Christians loving one another. Even if the more mature believer knows that idols are nothing but wood or stone he or she has the responsibility to love their fellow believer who’s still working through the issue. The principle, then, is that Iām to be willing to give up some of my ārightsā for the good of my brothers and sisters in Christ. Now, I canāt resist adding here that if you know enough about this that you use this principle as a way to control me (āoh, you canāt do that because itās against my convictionsā) then youāre just trying to manipulate me. Thus, you become the one whoās guilty of disregarding this same principle. When all is said and done, Iām still left with the truth that Iām to love you enough to be willing to sacrifice a bit rather than cause you pain. If I fail here, I not only hurt you but I hurt the Lord we both serve.
Take Away: Love is the guiding principle of Christianity.
Devotional on 1 Corinthians
Iām glad Iām part of the family of God
1Corinthians 16: And I love you all in the Messiah, Jesus.
Paul has been pretty hard on the church at Corinth and with good reason. On one hand, they appear to be a template for what a Christian church isnāt supposed to be. There are failures upon failures there and in this letter the Apostle is like a fireman trying to extinguish several blazes. On the other hand, he has a warm, fatherly, relationship with them. Heās not angrily ready to toss them aside. Instead, he sees them as worth redeeming. Beyond all that, I have the distinct feeling that my impression of this congregation is rather one sided. Thereās plenty wrong there, but a lot of it is likely associated with their being enthusiastic about living for the Lord and, at the same time, are coming out of a clueless, immoral culture. The result is enthusiastic ignorance. Maybe thatās better than being knowledgably bored! Paul concludes his letter by restating his love for them. They may be an ignorant and frustrating crowd, but Paul claims them as his own. Itās a pretty good reminder of how things are supposed to be in the family of God. We may have a few who are sometimes a bit off the grid, (of course that doesnāt include you and me!) but we love them just the same. After all, weāre together in this family of God.
Take Away: As the old saying goes, āSometimes I wonder about everyone but me and theeā¦and sometimes I wonder about thee.ā
Devotional on 2 Corinthians
Tearstained letters
2Corinthians 7: I know I distressed you greatly with my letter.
The book of 1 Corinthians is almost painful to read. Itās clear the there are some sick situations there and that this church is far from being a healthy congregation. The Corinthian church isnāt a prototype of what a Christian church is supposed to look like, although how Paul deals with them is a primer on how a spiritual leader is to deal with a difficult church situation. An insight in this passage is that as Paul writes to Corinth he knows the impact his words will have on the church. Beyond that, his words impact him as well. Administrating this strong medicine is painful for Paul too. The old āthis hurts me more than it hurts youā line is literally true in this situation. Paul gets no pleasure in writing to his friends at Corinth as he does. Heās frustrated with them and somewhat fearful for them. Still, he expects his strong medicine to bring about, in the long run, good results. Sometimes parents have to be disciplinarians. It would be nice to always feel warm and fuzzy about things but to do so isnāt what real love is like. In his first letter Paul steps up to the plate, telling them the facts of spiritual life even though, in his words, āI felt awful at the time.ā Sometimes preachers have to be disciplinarians. As it is for Paul and as it is for parents, proper discipline should never carry with it a sense of pleasure in causing pain. I imagine tearstains on the parchment that contains what we think of as 1 Corinthians. In the same way, there should be tearstains on the sermon notes of a pastor who preaches a sermon that will cause some pain. Otherwise, that sermon should never be preached.
Take Away: Sometimes discipline must be done but it should never be done with pleasure.
Devotional on Galations
Freedom harnessed
Galatians 5: Love others as you love yourself.
Freedom isnāt free. For one thing, itās expensive to obtain. Thatās true on national levels. Wars are fought and lives are lost for the cause of freedom. Itās also true on the spiritual level. Jesus goes to the cross, giving his all to set us free from the dominion of sin. Freedom is also difficult to retain. Again, on national levels, once freedom is gained itās often under attack from without and within. Vigilance is necessary if freedom is to be retained. Otherwise, it will gradually erode and be ultimately lost. Paul warns his readers that spiritual freedom must be guarded and allowed to mature. In his case, some are urging the Christians at Galatia to exchange some of their freedom in Christ for Jewish rules and regulations. He tells them that if they do that they’ll be ācut off from Christā and āfall out of grace.ā He also explains that freedom will actually destroy itself unless itās harnessed. Otherwise, freedom becomes destructive and, in the name of freedom, people tend to ābite and ravage each otherā¦annihilating each other.ā If freedom is to survive it must be harnessed, placed under some controlling principle and authority. The Apostle doesnāt leave us to figure this out for ourselves, but plainly states that authority: ālove others as you love yourself.ā Spiritual freedom, then, might be thought of as rather fragile. On one side, it can be choked off by rules and regulations that seem to draw us like moths to a flame. On the other side, it can, itself, become a negative, destructive force that causes pain and ultimately consumes itself. The only hope is for our freedom to be placed under submission to love. Itās no wonder that Jesus, who paid the ultimate price to obtain our freedom insisted that his followers love one another. Otherwise, what he obtained for us is ultimately lost by us.
Take Away: Even freedom as great as it is must be made a servant to love.
Devotional on Galations
Responsibility of seasoned saints
Galatians 6: So letās not allow ourselves to get fatigued doing good.
The church is, obviously, an imperfect body. After all, itās filled with imperfect human beings. Within its number are mature, settled saints and new, raw believers and folks everywhere in between. Itās a challenge to be a part of such a diverse family. The Apostle reminds the ātrainedā and āmatureā believers that they have a responsibility to enter into āa generous common lifeā with those who’ve gone before and at least implies that theyāre to do the same with those who are trailing behind them on their spiritual journey. He knows that this kind of communal living takes effort and can be a real energy drain so he frames the issue using a familiar crop growing illustration. The farmer works the fields, not because he likes what heās seeing right at that moment but because of what he believes is coming. As āseasoned saintsā patiently love and encourage others within the body of Christ they do so with two truths in mind. First, they remember where they came from and how others accepted them when they were young, frustrating, inconsistent believers. Second, they anticipate what the Lord’s going to do in the lives of these folks. The language he uses is that of self-responsibility: āLetās not allow ourselves…ā he says. Some folks havenāt yet gotten beyond the childrenās end of the pool. Those who are experienced, capable āswimmersā are to, in Paulās words, āWork for the benefit of all, starting with the people closest to us in the community of faith.ā
Take Away: There are people at all stages of spiritual growth in the family of God.