Category Archives: Daily Devotion

Patience

February 14, 2023

Scripture Reading: Exodus 24:12-18
The Lord said to Moses, ‘Come up to me on the mountain, and wait there; and I will give you the tablets of stone, with the law and the commandment, which I have written for their instruction.’ So Moses set out with his assistant Joshua, and Moses went up into the mountain of God. To the elders he had said, ‘Wait here for us, until we come to you again; for Aaron and Hur are with you; whoever has a dispute may go to them.’

Then Moses went up on the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain. The glory of the Lord settled on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days; on the seventh day he called to Moses out of the cloud. Now the appearance of the glory of the Lord was like a devouring fire on the top of the mountain in the sight of the people of Israel. Moses entered the cloud, and went up on the mountain. Moses was on the mountain for forty days and forty nights.

I have repeatedly said patience is a fruit of the spirit I lack*. This is one of the instances I prefer the King James translation, which rather than using the word patience, calls it long-suffering**.

I finally realized that the word is fruit, singular, not fruits, plural. The fruit of the spirit is a package deal. Moses had to have possessed much patience to stay up on that mountain for so long. He did wait, and he received the laws of God and carefully retained the instructions for how to use them. Surely, he was consoled by the other parts of the Spirit’s presence. At the end of this sojourn with God, he carries the tablets with the commandments etched on them down the mountain when he discovered the Israelites worshiping a golden calf idol. They did not have the patience to wait for his return. He dashed the tablets to the ground and broke them; then, he destroyed the idol. His patience had run out.

As soon as he came near the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, Moses’ anger burned hot, and he threw the tablets from his hands and broke them at the foot of the mountain. He took the calf that they had made, burned it with fire, ground it to powder, scattered it on the water, and made the Israelites drink it. —Exodus 32:19-20

The laws were recovered and built into our understanding and worship of God to this day. We also learned that there is a time and place for patience and a time to express anger if appropriate.

Prayer: Lord, help us to maintain our connection with your Spirit so that we can correctly identify when it is time to be patient and a time to express anger ruled by the boundaries of love, joy, peace, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Amen.

*Galatians 5:22-23–By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things.

**( https://biblehub.com/greek/3115.htm) Greek translation: 3115 makrothymía (from 3117 /makrós, “long” and 2372 /thymós, “passion, anger”) – properly, long-passion, i.e. waiting sufficient time before expressing anger. This avoids the premature use of force (retribution) that rises out of improper anger (a personal reaction).

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Providing for the Common Good

Ordinary Time

February 13, 2023

Scripture Reading:

Exodus 24:12-18
The Lord said to Moses, ‘Come up to me on the mountain, and wait there; and I will give you the tablets of stone, with the law and the commandment, which I have written for their instruction.’ So Moses set out with his assistant Joshua, and Moses went up into the mountain of God. To the elders he had said, ‘Wait here for us, until we come to you again; for Aaron and Hur are with you; whoever has a dispute may go to them.’

Then Moses went up on the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain. The glory of the Lord settled on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days; on the seventh day he called to Moses out of the cloud. Now the appearance of the glory of the Lord was like a devouring fire on the top of the mountain in the sight of the people of Israel. Moses entered the cloud, and went up on the mountain. Moses was on the mountain for forty days and forty nights.

Tracking bills in the state legislature and Congress over the years has become my advocation. It was part of my job when I worked, but now it is part of my advocacy work. God created the world out of chaos. We, the people, are challenged to follow God’s example by establishing laws and rules to maintain a peaceful and just world. Many of our laws are based on those ancient laws, from though shalt not kill to ensuring our food is safe to eat. Some of the Commandments involve our relationship with God. Others spell out issues of providing for the Common Good for everyone. Some are broad in nature, others very specific, and all are open to our interpretation.

Governments are created to provide for the Common Good. King David, as a monarch, was charged with caring for widows and orphans. He also oversaw a powerful army. Americans, through their constitution, established a representative democracy where the people are ultimately responsible for finding common ground for the Common Good.

Prayer: Lord, guide us in our discernment of what the Common Good is and help us hold our representatives accountable for providing the Common Good. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Communicating with Others

Ordinary Time

February 11, 2023

Scripture Reading:

Matthew 5:21-37

You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, “You shall not murder”; and “whoever murders shall be liable to judgment.” But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, “You fool”, you will be liable to the hell of fire. So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift. Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are on the way to court with him, or your accuser may hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. Truly I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny. –Matthew 5:21-37

I have been working on a document,” How to Talk to a Legislator,” and I realized that there is no difference in how we talk to a legislator as there is to talk to anyone. First, we must recognize who and what they are. We speak differently to a child than to an adult, to a person who is hard of hearing, and to someone whose expertise is different from ours.  

Anger has its place; Jesus ran the moneychangers out of the Temple area with a whip (John 2:15). In most discussions, anger can be more destructive than helpful in discourse. Our messages are better received when we tell our story succinctly and personally. My niece is pregnant, and the hospital in her hometown has told her there will be no room for her to deliver her baby when it is due. The next closest hospital is 30 miles away. In fact, I know people who must travel over 100 miles to find a hospital for any service. We, the people, through our legislative process, really need to address the lack of health care in rural areas to provide for the Common Good.

Our discourse as a people has turned raw. We do not listen or hear what is trying to be shared. Too often, we lack the understanding and care about what another is trying to communicate, which can end up in violence and even murder.

Prayer: Open our hearts to hearing and understanding the needs of people. Help us express our own needs to be better understood, and help us to strive for common ground to provide for the Common Good. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Called to Serve

Ordinary Time

February 10, 2023

Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 3:1-9

What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you came to believe, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. The one who plants and the one who waters have a common purpose, and each will receive wages according to the labor of each. For we are God’s servants, working together; you are God’s field, God’s building. –1 Corinthians 3:5-9

We are God’s servants. I have always loved the song He Lives! I serve a risen Savior; He’s in the world today. It simply states our purpose as Christ-followers, to serve the Lord in completing His mission of building the Beloved Community.  We grow in trust and faith as we learn from the work of our ancestors and plan for a better world for our children. Paul tells us in the above scripture that works best when we work together. I am active in the Oklahoma Poor People’s Campaign. Facing the challenges in our society in such a time as this is overwhelming. We do our best work when we do the part we are good at and work closely in supporting those with the knowledge and skills to bring about change in other areas.

Paul stands with us in being a servant, but he directs us specifically to be God’s field and God’s building*. Paul was a traveling minister, a planter of seeds; we are the field that must make the teachings he shared with us come to fruition throughout the whole world. We are the ones called to be the church**, not necessarily a building made of brick and mortar, but a community of faith that can meet together and support each other in using our diverse skills and talents to foster God’s commandment to develop a world ruled by love.

Prayer: Lord, help us each to perfect our skills and talents to serve you better, and teach us to work together so that your synergy expands all that we attempt to do. Amen.

*oikodomḗ – properly, a building (edifice) serving as a home; (figuratively) constructive criticism and instruction that builds a person up to be the suitable dwelling place of God, i.e. where the Lord is “at home.” (https://biblehub.com/greek/3619.htm)

Ekklēsía (from 1537 /ek, “out from and to” and 2564 /kaléō, “to call”) – properly, people called out from the world and to God, the outcome being the Church (the mystical body of Christ) – i.e. the universal (total) body of believers whom God calls out from the world and into His eternal kingdom. (https://biblehub.com/greek/1577.htm)

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Higher Ground

Ordinary Time

February 9, 2023

Scripture Reading:

1 Corinthians 3:1-9

And so, brothers and sisters, I could not speak to you as spiritual people, but rather as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for solid food. Even now you are still not ready, for you are still of the flesh. For as long as there is jealousy and quarrelling among you, are you not of the flesh, and behaving according to human inclinations? For when one says, ‘I belong to Paul’, and another, ‘I belong to Apollos’, are you not merely human? –1 Corinthians 3:1-4

The word flesh, as used here, simply describes being human, which is neither good nor bad, and can be either depending on the circumstances. I met a new great grand niece at my sister’s house at Thanksgiving and watched as the baby was unsure what to do with a few mashed potatoes her mother fed her. I guess she found it OK as she swallowed it but did not seem to want more. Paul is using the metaphor of feeding the body to describe the need to feed the soul.

We live in a very divided culture right now. I watched the Presidential State of the Union speech yesterday. We would not be a democracy, a government by the people if we did not have varying opinions of the ways to run our government.  The standard behavior during this speech is that the members of the Supreme Court and our military leaders remain seated without expressing an opinion of what was being put forward. When the opposing party’s stances on issues vary from what is being presented, they remain seated and do not clap their hands, remain seated and clap their hands, or when common ground exists, stand and clap. A few hecklers among the legislators last night felt it necessary to call out derogatory responses. Paul was dealing with reports of similar behavior among the Christians in Corinth. Our government exists to find common ground for the Common Good, which is true when bringing together the Body of Christ to answer Christ’s call to build the Beloved Community. I think the song Higher Ground addresses this issue well.

I’m pressing on the upward way,
New heights I’m gaining ev’ry day;
Still praying as I’m onward bound,
“Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.”

Refrain:
Lord, lift me up, and let me stand
By faith, on heaven’s tableland;
A higher plane than I have found,
Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.

My heart has no desire to stay
Where doubts arise and fears dismay;
Though some may dwell where these abound,
My prayer, my aim, is higher ground*

Prayer: Lord, lift me up, and let me stand By faith, on heaven’s tableland; A higher plane than I have found, Lord, plant my feet on higher ground. Amen.

*First and second verses with the refrain of the hymn Higher Ground by Johnson Oatman, Jr.  See at https://hymnary.org/text/im_pressing_on_the_upward_way

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Laws fulfilled

Ordinary Time

February 8, 2023

Scripture Reading: Psalm 119:1-8
Happy are those whose way is blameless,
   who walk in the law of the Lord.
Happy are those who keep his decrees,
   who seek him with their whole heart,
who also do no wrong,
   but walk in his ways.
You have commanded your precepts
   to be kept diligently.
O that my ways may be steadfast
   in keeping your statutes!
Then I shall not be put to shame,
   having my eyes fixed on all your commandments.
I will praise you with an upright heart,
   when I learn your righteous ordinances.
I will observe your statutes;
   do not utterly forsake me.

We need to establish an eternal link between walking in the law of the Lord and seeking him with our whole hearts. That is the message Jesus brought to us. Matthew 5:17 tells us that Jesus said, ‘Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. As Genesis described God creating the world out of chaos, laws and rules allow us to live within order designed to protect us and make our lives more meaningful when we do not need to live in the fear of the unknown.

Laws are made to be changed to adapt to modifications in our ways of living. We transitioned from rules regarding horse transportation to cars and trucks. I have always thought the law against eating pork was the equivalent of a health rule in our world today. Trichinosis is a deadly disease transmitted by eating pork. There was, thus, a good reason not to eat pork until we learned how to cook it to remove the microscopic parasite Trichinella. The original law was prudent for the time but could be revised once the culprit of the disease was destroyed. Some faith groups choose to continue to follow the Biblical instruction about not eating pork as a way of honoring God, and that is valid too. We must also now consider the admonitions of eating too much red meat for health reasons.

However, human-created laws can and sometimes work for sinister ends. In the USA, we live in a democracy ideally designed to give a voice to all its people in working for the Common Good. We, however, have seen laws that were created for the selfish gain of a few people or for forcing one’s values on others that have no link to the Common Good. That is when seeking God with our whole heart must bring our rules and laws into conformity with God’s love.

Prayer: Lord, help us carefully to discern, in carrying out our civic responsibilities, any laws or rules that do not follow God’s ultimate laws of Loving God, loving our neighbors as ourselves, and recognizing that final judgment belongs to God. Forgive us when we do not see that greed and lust for power are idols as much as any graven image 5000 years ago. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Doing Right

Ordinary Time

February 7, 2023

Scripture Reading:

Sirach 15:15-20
If you choose, you can keep the commandments,
   and to act faithfully is a matter of your own choice.
He has placed before you fire and water;
   stretch out your hand for whichever you choose.
Before each person are life and death,
   and whichever one chooses will be given.
For great is the wisdom of the Lord;
   he is mighty in power and sees everything;
his eyes are on those who fear him,
   and he knows every human action.
He has not commanded anyone to be wicked,
   and he has not given anyone permission to sin.

The first phase of this scripture hit me square in the face, not so much about the Ten Commandments but more about choosing to do right in general. I guess that many of us were taught to do the basic Commandments before we started school. Loving God was a given, and we prayed at each meal to share our love and thanksgiving. Lying was definitely forbidden in my home; honoring our parents was important, as was not envying others, not stealing, and definitely not taking God’s name in vain. Honoring the Sabbath meant we showed up and fully participated at the church every time it was open, and only the very necessary work was done, like feeding the cows on Sunday. We had to grow a little older to understand idols and adultery.

Are we not called to do what is right, what is just in all aspects of our lives? There is no way we could write a book that included all the instances to tell how to do right in all situations. So, besides these universal Commandments, we are provided other sage advice to guide us in making the right decision. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. (Luke 6:31 and Matthew 7:12) Love your neighbor as you love yourself. (Mark 12:30-31) I think one of our problems with that one is we actually may be loving others as we love ourselves; we may not love ourselves. There is even help for that. We must learn to forgive ourselves as God forgives us. Once we realize we have sinned, we must do all we can to set it right, but then we must forgive ourselves and grow from the experience.

Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for the broadness of your love as we grow in your wisdom and truth. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Idol Worship

Ordinary Time

February 6, 2023

Scripture Reading:

Deuteronomy 30:15-20
See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, death and adversity. If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I am commanding you today, by loving the Lord your God, walking in his ways, and observing his commandments, decrees, and ordinances, then you shall live and become numerous, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to possess. But if your heart turns away and you do not hear, but are led astray to bow down to other gods and serve them, I declare to you today that you shall perish; you shall not live long in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess. I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live, loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and holding fast to him; for that means life to you and length of days, so that you may live in the land that the Lord swore to give to your ancestors, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.

We may no longer bow down to statues of gods, but we still have idols. Greed and lust for power are two at the top of my list that I have observed. I am seeing more and more instances where we are creating and fostering gods made in our image that fit our desired outcomes for life rather than following the God in whose image we are made and whose foundation for life is love. The prosperity Gospel is a good example of that, as is Christian nationalism. We substitute cultural attributes for how and who we love. The story in Matthew 19:16-26 tells of the rich young man who came to Jesus to find out what more he could do; since he was already following all the commandments, Jesus said ‘If you wish to be perfect, go, sell your possessions, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.’ When the young man heard this word, he went away grieving, for he had many possessions.

Somehow our culture has been caught up in the need for individuals to be better than other individuals to be of worth. That did not come from God. God created all people in God’s image and saw that they were good. We tend to cluster with people who are like us and ignore or even discriminate against those who differ from us even though they, too, were created in the same image as the rest of us.

Prayer: Lord, forgive us when we see you as we want to see you and not as who you are.  Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

It’s a God Thing

Ordinary Time

February 5, 2023

Scripture Reading: Matthew 17:1-9
Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. Then Peter said to Jesus, ‘Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you wish, I will make three dwellings here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.’ While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud a voice said, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!’ When the disciples heard this, they fell to the ground and were overcome by fear. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, ‘Get up and do not be afraid.’ And when they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus himself alone.

As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus ordered them, ‘Tell no one about the vision until after the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.’

I picked up a phrase from a co-worker many years ago that I still use today to explain the unexplainable, It’s a God thing. What is now called The Transfiguration was just such a God thing. Something happened on that high mountain that marked the beginning of the end of Jesus’s life on earth and the beginning of a life ruled by grace and faith, still guided in part by ancient rules of living, still ruled by God’s love and mercy with the added role model of Jesus’s life and teachings to show us how to live in God’s love both receiving it and being a conduit of it to others. A better and growing relationship with the Spirit of God further enables this way of being.

Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for the gift of your grace, for giving us a role model to follow, and for your Spirit’s constant presence. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Salt and Light

Ordinary Time

Ordinary Time

February 4, 2023

Scripture Reading:

Matthew 5:13-20
‘You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled underfoot.

‘You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hidden. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.

‘Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Salt literally saved people from disease by preserving food. We are cautioned today about eating too much salt, but we must have some salt to live. Being the salt of the earth in service to Christ, in essence, means providing life-giving faith, hope, and love to others to sustain their very lives.

The hard part about letting one’s light shine is not getting in the way of one’s own light. If we get full of ourselves and think we are better than others, we reduce the worth of any illumination we may cast. That was part of the problem with some of the scribes and Pharisees.  That said, we are called to be models of Christ’s love in the world today.

Prayer: Lord, enrich us with both salt and light in the exact amount needed to share your love with others. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.