Category Archives: Daily Devotion

Spirit Led

Ordinary Time

February 3, 2023

Scripture Reading:

1 Corinthians 2:1-12 (13-16)

Yet among the mature we do speak wisdom, though it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to perish*. But we speak God’s wisdom, secret and hidden, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. None of the rulers of this age understood this; for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But, as it is written,
‘What no eye has seen, nor ear heard,
   nor the human heart conceived,
what God has prepared for those who love him’—**
these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For what human being knows what is truly human except the human spirit that is within? So also no one comprehends what is truly God’s except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit that is from God, so that we may understand the gifts bestowed on us by God. And we speak of these things in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual things to those who are spiritual. –1 Corinthians 2:1-13

*so he shall startle many nations;
   kings shall shut their mouths because of him;
for that which had not been told them they shall see,
   and that which they had not heard they shall contemplate. (Isaiah 52:15)

**From ages past no one has heard,
   no ear has perceived,
no eye has seen any God besides you,
   who works for those who wait for him. (Isaiah 64:4)

I can imagine Paul engrossed in the scriptures of his time; the Hebrew Bible has one Aha! Moment after another, following his encounter on the road to Damascus, seeing and perceiving the scriptures meaning that he had never understood before. I appreciate the New Interpreter’s Study Bible for reporting the source of scriptures quoted in the New Testament from the Hebrew Bible. I was memorizing scripture as a preschooler, yet I learn something new every time I am informed of the wholeness of scripture. I am equally amazed at the frequency of times I hear the Bible being used to support ideologies that I cannot find in the Bible, but that is a subject for a different time.

The Spirit is real, but it is hard for me hard to wrap my head around. Perhaps that is because the Spirit communicates as much through the ancient understanding of the heart or gut as the mind. We are, after all, organisms. While we today perceive are bodies in more scientific forms—hearts as pumps maintain our living, and guts distribute the good and the bad food we take in to keep our minds and hearts working. But what drives us to choose the good over the bad food and love over hate? Is it the Spirit of God interfacing with us that makes us whole, tugging at us to care for ourselves and others?

Prayer:
Spirit of the Living God,
Fall afresh on me,
Spirit of the Living God,
Fall afresh on me.
Break me, melt me, mold me, fill me.
Spirit of the Living God,
Fall afresh on me. ***Amen.

***Chorus Spirit of the Living God by Daniel Iverson, see at https://hymnary.org/text/spirit_of_the_living_god_fall_iverson#Author__st__1_

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.

Maturing in Faith

Ordinary Time

February 2, 2023

Scripture Reading:

1 Corinthians 2:1-12 (13-16)

When I came to you, brothers and sisters, I did not come proclaiming the mystery of God to you in lofty words or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified. And I came to you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling. My speech and my proclamation were not with plausible words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God. –1 Corinthians 2:1-5

My impression of Saul of Tarsus is that he was pretty sure of himself. He had been raised in wealth, the son of a Pharisee, groomed in his faith, and zealous about converting others to his beliefs* to the point of persecuting those who were following  Jesus. That does not sound like the description he gave of himself in the scripture above. He even went so far as to change his name to Paul after his encounter with Jesus Christ on his trip to Damascus, where he was headed to continue his persecution. After encounters in Damascus with Christ-followers and receiving their fearful welcome because his previous behavior preceded him, he withdrew to the mountains for three years to delve into what had happened to him and, more importantly, what he was to do about it.

And so, this same very confident man came to the people of Corinth in weakness and in fear and in much trembling. While his sense of surety remained, his relationship with God had blossomed and matured. He no longer needed to be overbearing but humbly became the conduit for God’s love to spread throughout the known world.

Our world today needs all Christ-followers to open ourselves to being the conduit of God’s love as we live in a world challenged by change. To do that, we must open ourselves to God’s examination and gain an understanding and relationship with God to make that transition for the betterment of all. We, too, must be willing to let the Spirit of God guide us and not assume that carrying out our way of being faithful is still appropriate in our world today.

Prayer: Lord, remove the beam from our eyes so that we can better serve you among all people guided by your love. Amen.

*Philippians 3:2-6  For it is we who are the circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God and boast in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh— even though I, too, have reason for confidence in the flesh.

If anyone else has reason to be confident in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, a member of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless.

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.

Lessons in Living in God’s Ways

Ordinary Time

February 1, 2023

Scripture Reading:

Psalm 112:1-9 (10)
Praise the Lord!
   Happy are those who fear the Lord,
   who greatly delight in his commandments.
Their descendants will be mighty in the land;
   the generation of the upright will be blessed.
Wealth and riches are in their houses,
   and their righteousness endures forever.
They rise in the darkness as a light for the upright;
   they are gracious, merciful, and righteous.
It is well with those who deal generously and lend,
   who conduct their affairs with justice.
For the righteous will never be moved;
   they will be remembered forever.
They are not afraid of evil tidings;
   their hearts are firm, secure in the Lord.
Their hearts are steady, they will not be afraid;
   in the end they will look in triumph on their foes.
They have distributed freely, they have given to the poor;
   their righteousness endures forever;
   their horn is exalted in honor.
The wicked see it and are angry;
   they gnash their teeth and melt away;
   the desire of the wicked comes to nothing.

One of my best friends throughout public school died recently. We had not remained in close contact as our lives moved in different directions and locations. I touched base with her last when her mother died a few months ago. My friend’s death was a surprise. When I read this scripture, I recalled her obituary, which contained many of the same attributes described in this Psalm. She was blessed throughout her life with a comfortable income. Still, her time was invested in helping others. I quote from that obituary,

She was a friend to everyone; she had a heart for helping those in need. She was a prayer warrior for her family and others, a Bible study teacher, a Sunday school teacher, Stephens Minister, a volunteer for many organizations, and involved in endless activities. She would always remember special dates of family and friends with cards, calls, lunch, or dinner. She would also take meals to those in need who were going through hard times with health issues or loss of a loved one.

She was a role model from which all of us can learn.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for providing role models to help us find our way in a challenging world. Particularly, I thank you for the role model that my friend followed, and we all can follow, Jesus Christ. 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.

Perfection

Ordinary Time

January 31, 2023

Scripture Reading: Malachi 3:1-4

For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap; he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the descendants of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, until they present offerings to the Lord in righteousness. Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord as in the days of old and as in former years. –Malachi 3:2-4

I connect Paul to the use of the word perfection calling us to strive to be perfect. However, Jesus is quoted as saying. Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect (Matthew 5:48). The Greek word, teleios*, could also mean being complete, fully matured, or possessing wholeness—all descriptors that are probably more comfortable to us English speakers than perfection. In our competitive world, there is always something better than our “now” toward which to strive to make perfection almost impossible.

We tend to think of perfection as an end product, but striving for perfection requires us also to maintain the wholeness we have gained while seeking even more maturity. It is a balancing act of constant self-examination resulting in any indicated corrections. I am not a sailor, but I have friends who are. I have watched how they carefully steer the boat to adjust to the wind and the waves. We, too, must adjust to the wind and the waves of life that can quickly throw us off course unless we intentionally stay ahead of the storm through our communion with God.

Prayer: Lord, stay ever near us as we sail through the challenges of life and mature, following you more nearly. Amen.

*https://biblehub.com/greek/5046.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.

The Word of God

Ordinary Times

January 30, 2023

Scripture Reading: Malachi 3:1-4

See, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me, and the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple. The messenger of the covenant in whom you delight—indeed, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears?

But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? Most of those of us who claim to be Christ-followers generally think we are following the ways of Jesus Christ. The interesting thing is that we have a very broad spectrum of interpretations of what those ways are and how we emulate them in our lives today. First, we must trust the stories of Jesus passed down by our faith ancestors. Even in the first century, we have the beginnings of different interpretations. We also must glean our understanding of Jesus Christ through stories all originally written in languages other than those we speak. Finally, we have over 2000 years of life experiences that have shaped our understanding of God. The truth is, we probably all interpret God’s path through our personal preferences, reading and following the scriptures with which we are most comfortable.

John, the latest gospel written, addressed that issue in the first sentence of that book, John 1:1, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

Jesus Christ can never be fully understood through the written word. He is the Word, and we meet him through a combination of studying the Bible, sharing discussions with other God-followers, and, most importantly, developing a personal relationship with God through practicing spiritual disciplines that keep us in sync with God. Jesus even modeled that himself—going up the mountain to meditate and pray, throwing his body to the ground in the Garden of Gethsemane, asking God to take what he was facing from him (Luke 22:42); and in the end, hanging on the cross reporting to God that he has finished the work he was sent to complete (John 19:30).

Hebrews 4:12 states that Indeed, the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And it is in that reckoning that we find the truth and work toward the maturity in faith to find the oneness among all Christ-followers that will be the Kingdom of God.

Prayer: Lord, examine each of us and help us to find the best way we can do our part in oneness with all people. 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.

The Times They are a Changin’*

Ordinary Time

January 29, 2023

Scripture Reading: Matthew 5:1-12
When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:
‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
‘Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
‘Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
‘Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
‘Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
‘Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
‘Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
‘Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
‘Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Our world is entering a new worldview similar to the Renaissance or the Industrial Revolution, causing us to struggle with what was and deal with what is as we prepare for the future. The result is people trying to find stability in an unstable environment as our worldview is changing rapidly. Thus we are experiencing a steady stream of grasping for anything that can make us feel grounded.

Homeostasis is a word that describes a tendency toward maintenance of relatively stable social conditions among groups with respect to various factors and to competing tendencies and powers within the body politic, to society, or to culture among [people]**.

Years ago, my roommate and I invited two guys over to play cards at our apartment. The day before, our dishwasher stopped working, and the apartment manager had not yet sent anyone to fix it. Our dirty dishes were stacked all over the counter. When our friends arrived and saw the mess and heard our plight, one of them walked over to the sink, put his hands on each side of it, looked at us, and said, “In ancient days, people washed dishes in this appliance using their hands, dish soap, washcloths, and towels.” Neither my roommate nor I had even considered doing such a thing. We were caught in homeostasis. We were programmed to do dishes the way we had always done them. Of course, our always was a short time earlier because we were raised in homes without dishwashers.

We live in a time when we no longer have a relatively stable social condition. The world is changing around us, and we have lost our grip on stability. In the first century, one of those changes that literally impacted the whole world was the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ and the movement that was formed to spread its worth throughout the world. The Sermon on the Mount prepared the members of that movement to deal with the impact of such change. Two thousand years later, we must recall this advice as we strive to build Christ’s beloved community in a world in the chaos of change.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for the wisdom of the Sermon on the Mount describing how to spread your love in the changing worldview in which we live.  Amen.

*Title of a song by Bob Dylan

**https://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/unabridged/homeostasis

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.

Sermon on the Mount

Ordinary Time

January 28, 2023

Scripture Reading: Matthew 5:1-12
When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:
‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
‘Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
‘Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
‘Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
‘Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
‘Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
‘Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
‘Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
‘Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

The Sermon on the Mount is one of the foundational scriptures of Christianity. Jesus is quoted as outlining the breadth of God’s love and thus sets the standard for our love of others. He recognizes we are all subject to challenges for which he is always with us. He describes both our need to be meek* as well as to answer our call to do justice. He opens the door to our striving to interact with others on the higher ground of mercy, purity of heart, and peacemaking. Finally, he reminds us that we are called to love like him in the storm of evil, working its will throughout the earth, yet we remain in the shelter of his blessings.

Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for coming among us to help us humans live in your love. Amen.

*Meek refers to exercising God’s strength under His control – i.e. demonstrating power without undue harshness. See at https://biblehub.com/greek/4239.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.

Acceptance

Ordinary Time

Scripture Reading:
1 Corinthians 1:18-31

Consider your own call, brothers and sisters: not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, things that are not, to reduce to nothing things that are, so that no one might boast in the presence of God. He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption, in order that, as it is written, ‘Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.’—1 Corinthians 1:26-31

I was having a sleepover with a good friend when I was in the fifth grade. After dinner, my friend and I were supposed to be doing homework sitting on the floor in her family’s living room while her mother was cleaning up the dishes. A boy had been placed in our class that week who came to our town to live with a foster family. He and his brother had apparently not attended school for a while. After the school staff reviewed the records on the boys and visited with them, the principal determined that the younger one, who was 15 needed to be placed in the fifth grade. He was already six feet tall and could barely sit behind a fifth-grade desk.

While working on our homework, my friend and I started calling him dumb and laughing about how he dressed. Suddenly my friend’s mother appeared in the doorway, still drying a frying pan in her hands, and said, “ I want you girls to stop making fun of the new boy in your class. You aren’t any better than he is.” And she turned back into the kitchen. Just as quickly, she reappeared and said, “And nobody is better than you.” That was one of the most powerful lessons I have ever learned, and it still has a powerful impact on me to this day.

Prayer: Help us accept each other as Christ accepted us;
teach us as sister, brother, each person to embrace.
Be present, Lord, among us and bring us to believe
we are ourselves accepted and meant to love and live*. Amen

First verse of the hymn Help us Accept Each Other by Fred Kaan, See at http://www.pateys.nf.ca/cgi-bin/lyrics.pl?hymnnumber=632

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.

Christ Crucified

Ordinary Time

January 26, 2023

Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 1:18-31

For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written,
‘I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
   and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.’
Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, God decided, through the foolishness of our proclamation, to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks desire wisdom, but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling-block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength. –1 Corinthians 1:18-26

No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. –John 15:13

The Greek language has several words that are translated into English as the word love. The Greek word Agápē* translated as love in this quote from John typically refers to divine love (= what God prefers). Christ crucified was and is an act of divine love expressing God’s preference that all God’s people know that God loves you and me and all people. As God loves all of us, God calls us to love one another. That simple statement, followed by the action necessary to fulfill it, is the keystone to abundant life. A keystone is the wedge-shaped piece at the crown of an arch especially: such a piece inserted last and locking the other pieces in place**.

John 10:10 tells us that Jesus said The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.

Is Paul saying to the Corinthians and to us that the wisdom of the world is that thief that comes only to steal and kill and destroy? Greed, lust for power, and bigotry are not what God prefers. I now think I must add violence to this list of the principalities and the powers that too often are pressing to overcome the power of love. Surely, we Christ-followers must account for our acceptance of violence as a routine part of life and become more vigilant in spreading God’s love to all people.

Prayer: Lord, do not ever let us grow in acceptance of violence as a normal part of life. Amen.

*https://biblehub.com/greek/26.htm

** https://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/unabridged/keystone

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.

God’s Guidance

Ordinary Time

January 25, 2023

Scripture Reading: Psalm 15
O Lord, who may abide in your tent?
   Who may dwell on your holy hill?

Those who walk blamelessly, and do what is right,
   and speak the truth from their heart;
who do not slander with their tongue,
   and do no evil to their friends,
   nor take up a reproach against their neighbors;
in whose eyes the wicked are despised,
   but who honor those who fear the Lord;
who stand by their oath even to their hurt;
who do not lend money at interest,
   and do not take a bribe against the innocent.

Those who do these things shall never be moved.

Create in me a clean heart and a right spirit, (Psalm 51:10) and Set a guard over my mouth, O Lord. (Psalms 141:3) are two prays that are important to pray daily. I identify with Jacob who wrestles with an angel in preparation for his reconciliation with his brother Esau. We cannot walk blamelessly, speech the truth, or any of the other thing listed in the above scripture until we deal with our own demons.

We also can not follow the above guidance unless we take the time and energy to understand the people with whom we are interacting. None of us can ever know all the things that impact the lives of those we encounter daily.  We do not know if they left a sick child at home or have an ingrown toenail dueling with too-tight shoes nor if we are white do we know what it is like to be black if we are female, what it is like to be male or vice versa.  We must always look for the good triggers and the bad triggers in our interactions, guiding our next steps in communicating God’s love while dealing with sometimes tough issues.

Prayer: Hear our prayers, O Lord, and guide us in our love. 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.