Category Archives: Daily Devotion

Being a Sanctuary for Others

Living in the Spirit

November 3, 2022

Scripture Reading:

2 Thessalonians 2:1-5, 13-17

As to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we beg you, brothers and sisters, not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as though from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord is already here. Let no one deceive you in any way; for that day will not come unless the rebellion comes first and the lawless one is revealed, the one destined for destruction. He opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, declaring himself to be God. Do you not remember that I told you these things when I was still with you? –2 Thessalonians 2:1-5

I have been aware of cults since I was a child from Jim Jones’ People’s Temple to QAnon today. I worked with a person several years ago who did not come to work one morning without notice. We found out later that she had traveled to a designated place for the Rapture and did not find it necessary to file for vacation time to be away. In her mind the world as we knew it would no longer exist.

When we look at the work of Jesus, we see authentic events with very real people being guided in loving themselves and loving one another—no mass suicides and no perverted sexual behavior, and no cabal of Satanic cannibalism. When I consider such cults, I think of the song title, Looking for Love in All the Wrong Places*. While the song addresses looking for a life partner, I think we all have an innate need to know God, our creator, and live in fellowship with God. Part of our calling is to share our experience of God with others so that they can know there is more to life than negative patterns of behavior. I am sorry to say that I have observed people who moved further away from God because of misguided, judgmental experiences pressed on them in childhood that turned them off from seeking a relationship with God. Jesus never crammed God down anyone’s throat and neither should we. Jesus lived his love and so should we.

Prayer: Lord, prepare me to be a sanctuary
Pure and holy, tried and true
With thanksgiving, I’ll be a living
Sanctuary for You

It is you, Lord who came to save
The heart and soul of every man.
It is you Lord who knows my weakness,
Who gives me strength, with thine own hand*. Amen.

*Chorus and the first verse of Lord, Prepare Me to be a Sanctuary by John Thompson, Randy Scruggs

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.

A New Song

Living in the Spirit

November 2, 2022

Scripture Reading: Psalm 98

O sing to the Lord a new song,
   for he has done marvelous things.
His right hand and his holy arm
   have gained him victory.
The Lord has made known his victory;
   he has revealed his vindication in the sight of the nations.
He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness
   to the house of Israel.
All the ends of the earth have seen
   the victory of our God.

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth;
   break forth into joyous song and sing praises.
Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre,
   with the lyre and the sound of melody.
With trumpets and the sound of the horn
  make a joyful noise before the King, the Lord. –Psalm 98: 1-6

I am more than ready to sing a new song, but it must be the right song. I am tired of hatred and violence and the attitude that if I say it, it is true. I want a new song that spreads the love of God while not using God as one more trick in a political scheme for power.

The new song I want is actually a very old song reaching all the way back to Leviticus 19:18, You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against any of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord. Jesus added an exclamation mark to this commandment in Mark 12:28–31.

Singing a new song, restoring an ancient one requires intentionality. Humans naturally develop habits making life somewhat simpler. All habits are not good. Over time and with changes in our lives some habits take our time but are no longer meaningful to our lives. We need to develop positive habits making it impossible for us not to love our neighbors.

Prayer: Lord, make us uncomfortable with the bad habits we have picked up in our lives, and crowd those bad habits out with new habits singing a new song.  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.

I Know that My Redeemer Liveth

Living in the Spirit

November 1, 2022

Scripture Reading: Job 19:23-27a
‘O that my words were written down!
   O that they were inscribed in a book!
O that with an iron pen and with lead
   they were engraved on a rock forever!
For I know that my Redeemer lives,
   and that at the last he will stand upon the earth;
and after my skin has been thus destroyed,
   then in my flesh I shall see God,
whom I shall see on my side,
   and my eyes shall behold, and not another.
   My heart faints within me!

and for this reason I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know the one in whom I have put my trust, and I am sure that he is able to guard until that day what I have entrusted to him. (2 Timothy 1:12)

I know not why God’s wondrous grace
  To me He hath made known,
Nor why, unworthy, Christ in love
  Redeemed me for His own.

But “I know Whom I have believed
And am persuaded that He is able
To keep that which I’ve committed
  Unto Him against that day.”*

Scripture often reminds me of hymns, many from my childhood that are no longer popular. When I read the line from Job For I know that my Redeemer lives quoted above, I immediately flashed back to a favorite hymn; I know not why God’s wondrous grace. My first thought was that I did not know it was mentioned in Job long before it was inscribed into 2 Timothy. I identify it with Christ. I wonder if the author of Timothy, thought to be Paul, had the same experience of remembering a scripture from his childhood. Paul quoted the Hebrew Bible extensively.

I then set out to find the words to the hymn I remembered and stumbled onto an avalanche of hymns that pick up on that theme, including I Know My Redeemer Liveth by George Frideric Handel.  God is with us yesterday, today, and forever and we are blessed to celebrate God’s love with our ancestors. At the same time, we pass it forward to our descendants with the understanding that Christ was and is, indeed, present in all generations.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. (John 1:1-2)

*First verse and chorus  of the hymn I know not why God’s wondrous grace by Daniel Webster Whittle see at https://www.hymnal.net/en/hymn/h/333

Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for being present with us always. 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.

Responding to Disaster

Living in the Spirit

October 31, 2022

Scripture Reading: Haggai 1:15b-2:9

In the second year of King Darius, in the seventh month, on the twenty-first day of the month, the word of the Lord came by the prophet Haggai, saying: Speak now to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to the remnant of the people, and say, Who is left among you that saw this house in its former glory? How does it look to you now? Is it not in your sight as nothing? Yet now take courage, O Zerubbabel, says the Lord; take courage, O Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest; take courage, all you people of the land, says the Lord; work, for I am with you, says the Lord of hosts, according to the promise that I made you when you came out of Egypt. My spirit abides among you; do not fear. For thus says the Lord of hosts: Once again, in a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land; and I will shake all the nations, so that the treasure of all nations shall come, and I will fill this house with splendor, says the Lord of hosts. The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, says the Lord of hosts. The latter splendor of this house shall be greater than the former, says the Lord of hosts; and in this place I will give prosperity, says the Lord of hosts. –Haggai 2:1-9

I just watched on the news people from neighborhoods in Florida who did not experience as much damage in the hurricane as other bringing the simple necessities of life to the ruined areas. Diapers and toothpaste and all kinds of things we take for granted were welcomed with tears. That news helped me understand how the people of Israel may have felt when they returned to a ruined Jerusalem. The messages scattered through this scripture applied to those returning from exile apply to us today–take courage, work for God is with you, and do not fear. While it was not in the above scripture it is in scripture: love your neighbor as you love yourself as the neighbors in Florida did. (Leviticus 19:17-18, Mark 12:31)

Prayer: Lord, help us be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves*. Amen.

*James 1:22

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.

Fight or Negotiate

Living in the Spirit

October 30, 2022

Scripture Reading: Luke 19:1-10
He entered Jericho and was passing through it. A man was there named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax-collector and was rich. He was trying to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was short in stature. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycomore tree to see him, because he was going to pass that way. When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, ‘Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house today.’ So he hurried down and was happy to welcome him. All who saw it began to grumble and said, ‘He has gone to be the guest of one who is a sinner.’ Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, ‘Look, half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much.’ Then Jesus said to him, ‘Today salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost.’

For some reason, the idea that Jesus was the ultimate judge and none of the rest of us has that job has resonated with me. That is the main reason I am against the use of the death penalty. We are playing God in demanding such final judgment. That is not to say that I have perfected not judging others and we must make some judgments as we work with other people. Our judicial system is designed explicitly to mediate the differences among people. I named this website after one of the first mentioned judges in the Bible, Deborah. She settled disputes between people and otherwise did things to enable others to do what was right.

We as a nation are losing the ability to seek common ground for the Common Good. Our candidates for office proclaim they will fight for us. That really scares me because in many cases I disagree with the candidate’s stance on an issue.  I want to be represented by people willing to study a problem, identify ways to address it, and together make the most prudent plan to solve it. It is hard work requiring the participants to rethink their viewpoints and seek higher ground for all involved and impacted by those who represent us.

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.

*Refrain from I’m pressing on the upward way 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.

The Power of Love

Living in the Spirit

October 29, 2022

Scripture Reading: Luke 19:1-10
He entered Jericho and was passing through it. A man was there named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax-collector and was rich. He was trying to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was short in stature. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycomore tree to see him, because he was going to pass that way. When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, ‘Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house today.’ So he hurried down and was happy to welcome him. All who saw it began to grumble and said, ‘He has gone to be the guest of one who is a sinner.’ Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, ‘Look, half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much.’ Then Jesus said to him, ‘Today salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost.’

For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and in their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains. (1 Timothy 6:10)

From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required; and from one to whom much has been entrusted, even more will be demanded. (Luke 12:48b)

As he sat in that tree, Zacchaeus was caught in the crossfires of the above two scriptures whether he knew it or not. The first tells him that in his eagerness to be rich he could wander away from the faith that Jesus, the man who drew his interest after seeing the crowd’s response, professed. Regarding the second scripture, he is called to take responsibility for being trustworthy with the wealth he had accumulated.

I cannot help but think of Jesus’s very act of inviting himself in front of that crowd to the home of one of the most reviled members of that community touching a tender spot in Zacchaeus made his choice clear. God’s love is like that. Ours should be too.

Prayer: Lord, help us see and help develop the value in those people from whom we turn away. 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.

God’s Provision of Perseverance

Living in the Spirit

October 28, 2022

Scripture Reading:

2 Thessalonians 1:1-4, 11-12
Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy,
To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
We must always give thanks to God for you, brothers and sisters, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing. Therefore we ourselves boast of you among the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith during all your persecutions and the afflictions that you are enduring. To this end we always pray for you, asking that our God will make you worthy of his call and will fulfill by his power every good resolve and work of faith, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

I finished one project and am moving on to the next. Nothing was easy. My printer ran out of black ink and would not work after I replaced the cartridge. I went to a local store to have them print what I needed only to find out they did not have enough of the kind of labels I needed to do my whole project. They called another of their stores that had the labels, and I drove 50 or so blocks to buy the labels and have them printed. All the staff was very helpful, but I was stunned when they did not charge me for the printing since I bought the labels there.

That all came to my mind when I read the above phrase our God will make you worthy of his call and will fulfill by his power every good resolve and work of faith. God enables perseverance when following your calling. My project was to print and send get-out-to-vote cards as a part of my work with the Poor People’s Campaign. Oklahoma has one of the worst voter turnout rates in the country. People need to know that their vote matters if they are going to lift themselves out of poverty. We are called to feed the hungry. That can be the provision of actual food it can also mean advocacy for raising the minimum wage to a living wage.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for the gift of perseverance as we work to follow your call to love our neighbors. 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.

Living Love

Living in the Spirit

October 27, 2022

Scripture Reading:

2 Thessalonians 1:1-4, 11-12
Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy,
To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
We must always give thanks to God for you, brothers and sisters, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing. Therefore we ourselves boast of you among the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith during all your persecutions and the afflictions that you are enduring. To this end we always pray for you, asking that our God will make you worthy of his call and will fulfill by his power every good resolve and work of faith, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

We are, indeed, called to love one another, and it seems that the principalities and powers feel a great threat from that thought. Greed is not compatible with love. Power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely. No one’s worth is established by being better than anybody else. Hot-button issues are designed to distract from the real problems of our times. Love is the ultimate vision for living.

The ads sponsored by dark money during this election season illustrate the fear of those principalities and powers that we the people might actually live the calling of love through all aspects of our lives including our civic responsibilities.  The ads include just enough truth to bring out our worst fears but never tell the whole story. They were used to driving us away from voting here in Oklahoma for the last several years. That is not the answer. We have one of the lowest voting rates in the country. All eligible people need to vote.

The purpose of government is to provide for the Common Good. Take the time to consider what that means to you. For me, that includes the availability of quality affordable healthcare for all, quality public education for all children from birth to entry into a career that pays a living wage, restorative justice, and a totally revamped immigration system that protects from crime while fulfilling our call to welcome the stranger, and dependable infrastructure (roads, bridges, water, broadband access), safety protection (policing, criminal and civil justice, fire protection, safe available water, climate change, international relationships, and the military). I judge the candidates I vote for by their potential to deliver these goals as they relate to the office they want to fill for attaining the Common Good. What represents the Common Good for you? What candidates have the most potential for achieving the Common Good? Vote for them.

Prayer: Lord, lift us to higher ground so that your love can spread across our land and protect us from the evil that is around us. 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.

Sin Is

Living in the Spirit

October 26, 2022

Scripture Reading: Psalm 32:1-7
Happy are those whose transgression is forgiven,
   whose sin is covered.
Happy are those to whom the Lord imputes no iniquity,
   and in whose spirit there is no deceit.

While I kept silence, my body wasted away
   through my groaning all day long.
For day and night your hand was heavy upon me;
   my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer.

Then I acknowledged my sin to you,
   and I did not hide my iniquity;
I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord’,
   and you forgave the guilt of my sin.

Therefore let all who are faithful
   offer prayer to you;
at a time of distress, the rush of mighty waters
   shall not reach them.
You are a hiding-place for me;
   you preserve me from trouble;
   you surround me with glad cries of deliverance.

Sin is a transgression of religious law: an offense against God*.

Sin is missing the mark. who are always being instructed and can never arrive at a knowledge of the truth. (II Timothy 3:7)

Sin is being separated from God.

Sin is A condition of dreadful estrangement from God, the sole source of well-being**.

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

**The Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible, page 361

Most people of faith in God may consider sin as the dictionary describes it breaking religious laws. We get more serious about missing the mark or being separated from God. But I had never considered sin as dreadful estrangement from God who is the sole source of well-being. That just makes me want to cry. God wants the very best for all of God’s children as the sole source of well-being. That is something to meditate about.

Prayer: Lord, help us recognize your love in our lives and know you as our source of well-being. Protect us from those who try to divide us from your 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.

Getting in Sync with God

Living in the Spirit

October 25, 2022

Scripture Reading: Isaiah 1:10-18

Hear the word of the Lord,
   you rulers of Sodom!
Listen to the teaching of our God,
   you people of Gomorrah!
What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices?
   says the Lord;
I have had enough of burnt-offerings of rams
   and the fat of fed beasts;
I do not delight in the blood of bulls,
   or of lambs, or of goats.

Come now, let us argue it out,
   says the Lord:
though your sins are like scarlet,
   they shall be like snow;
though they are red like crimson,
   they shall become like wool. –Isaiah 1:10-11, 18

Have you noticed that the people who do not want anyone to tell them what to do in life are the same people who want to tell others what they can do? That seems to be what Isaiah is challenging. The people of his day brought all kinds of burnt offerings etc. to gain God’s blessings when God wants his followers to change their way of being. My Sunday School class just finished a study of the Ten Commandments. None of them mentioned burnt offerings or fatted calves. They talk about how we should love and respect God and treat one another.

It is in the depths of our studies and communion with God that we can discern the ways of God. Daily self-examination will help us find our way. One way to do that is to spend time discerning how we fair at following those Ten Commandments, reviewing the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7, or Jesus’s outline of how he judges us found in Matthew 25:31-46. Look for common faults that need to be addressed. Target the issues that are out of sync with God’s teachings and seek God’s guidance regarding how to correct our behavior.

Prayer: Lord, forgive us when we choose to honor you in ways that do not bring you glory. 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.