Category Archives: Daily Devotion

Welcoming the Beloved Community

Living in the Spirit

September 13, 2022

Scripture Reading: Psalm 98:1-5
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.

For some time now, even in the chaos of USA politics, senseless war, and uncontrolled climate change, I have felt that we are entering a new age. Modernity, largely connected to technological advancements, is being spoken of in the past tense. I do not follow astrology or geology or any of the other -oligies used to describe our eras. I identify more with Isaiah, Amos, or Jerimiah’s hope for the aftermath of exile. Considering the way, we as a people have been acting, we could well be headed deeper into exile. It is our choice because God blessed us with free will, but I sense that at least a remnant of people is longing for the Beloved Community, the Kingdom of God, and that also is a choice. We still can avoid exile.

We do need to sing a new song, and we need to encourage others to join that choir. We might start by exploring what the Beloved Community is.

Prayer: Lord, open our hearts and minds to the development of the Beloved Community. 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.

Patience and Prayer

Living in the Spirit

September 12, 2022

Scripture Reading: Numbers 21:4b-9
From Mount Hor they set out by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; but the people became impatient on the way. The people spoke against God and against Moses, ‘Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we detest this miserable food.’ Then the Lord sent poisonous serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many Israelites died. The people came to Moses and said, ‘We have sinned by speaking against the Lord and against you; pray to the Lord to take away the serpents from us.’ So Moses prayed for the people. And the Lord said to Moses, ‘Make a poisonous serpent, and set it on a pole; and everyone who is bitten shall look at it and live.’ So Moses made a serpent of bronze, and put it upon a pole; and whenever a serpent bit someone, that person would look at the serpent of bronze and live.

If this isn’t a parable it should be. I always think of the Terrible Twos when I read situations like this. It is the time in every human’s life when they must begin to assume responsibility for their own actions, which we dearly want to do, while still longing for their parents/caretakers to continue meeting their needs. Some people do not ever grow out of this stage of development. We are seeing a lot of that in our society today. It seems to be contagious. It is not new. Biblical history notes varied situations where such behavior resulted in chaos including the Exile. We become impatient with God which is rather ironic as I am sure God must grow even more impatient with us.

God is not an alternative action on a checklist of things we think we need to happen. If we pray and do not get what we want immediately, we move on to the next possible source of meeting our desires. I tend to think in this world we are surrounded by “poisonous snakes “of all kinds from which God must rescue us because we do not take care to avoid them. I was raised on a farm where rattlesnakes, copperheads, and water moccasins abounded along with non-venomous snakes that help keep the rodent population down. We learn at very early ages how to tell the difference.

Matthew 6:8b tells us: for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. Revisiting our prayers with God and seeking clarity regarding our situation might be a better second step.  And I used the word “desires” on purpose. Sometimes what we desire goes against what we really need. The scripture above states, For there is no food and no water, and we detest this miserable food.’ In one sentence they indicate that they had no food when the reality was they did not like the food they had.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for your patience with us. Help us follow your example. 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.

Interdependence

Living in the Spirit

September 10, 2022

Scripture Reading: Luke 15:1-10

Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him. And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, ‘This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.’

So he told them this parable: ‘Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, “Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.” Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who need no repentance. –Luke 15:1-7

My brother and I talk via phone most Saturdays. One Saturday morning in the spring during calving season, the first thing he said after hello was that he had just come in from walking the pasture as one of his new calves was not with its mother, and he could not find it. The next week he reported that he had not found it after a few days fearing the worst had happened, but he kept looking, and on the third or fourth day he walked out to the barnyard, and there was the mother cow and the calf together. All seemed well. My brother is a retired lineman, but in his heart, he has always been a farmer. He lives on our family farm. We had a small dairy when I was a child, and my mom always had a beautiful garden. My first job was feeding the chickens and gathering eggs. People who grow up on a farm get a degree in reality about life and death, about the necessity of doing the work in the rain or sunshine on a regular schedule, and that all people and animals matter–good life lessons for anyone. I was also the kid who turned every calf into a pet and ran crying and yelling behind the pickup when dad took a steer to the butcher, “Please do not kill Smokie; I love Smokie.” I also ate the roasts and steaks and hamburgers, which dad picked up a few days later.

Jesus’ audience was well acquainted with the importance of a missing lamb. God created an interdependent world where all things matter. We are charged with the responsibility of being the best person we can be as God created us to be, but also, being engaged in supporting others as they fulfill their purpose in God’s Beloved Community.

Prayer: Lord, help us to see the beauty of your image in each person we encounter as we work to live 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.

God’s Mercy

Living in the Spirit

September 9, 2022

Scripture Reading: 1 Timothy 1:12-17

I am grateful to Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because he judged me faithful and appointed me to his service, even though I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a man of violence. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the foremost. But for that very reason I received mercy, so that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display the utmost patience, making me an example to those who would come to believe in him for eternal life. To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

Andrae Crouch’s song My Tribute, came to mind as I read this scripture,

How can I say thanks
For the things You have done for me?
Things so undeserved
Yet You gave to prove Your love for me
The voices of a million angels
Could not express my gratitude
All that I am and ever hope to be
I owe it all to Thee*

God with us, Jesus Christ, is the source of mercy, which we all need at some time or another. In our busy lives, we forget about the need for mercy. Our actions and ways of being that call for mercy, I think stay with us until we deal with them. Regular self-examination is important, asking for mercy, and perhaps more important accepting mercy is necessary for us to continue in our work toward a better family, community, and world. Sometimes we may need to make amends for our behavior. God’s mercy carries us through the guilt and shame we may feel and helps us to turn around from our separation from God.

Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for your mercy that enables us to overcome our shortcomings and be the person you created us to be. Amen.

See at *https://www.google.com/search?q=how+can+i+say+thanks+for+the+things+you+have+done+for+me+lyrics&rlz=1C1VDKB_enUS987US987&oq=How+can+I+say+thanks+for+the+things+ou&aqs=chrome.1.69i57j0i22i30j0i390l4.12118j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

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.

Serving God by Welcoming Others

Living in the Spirit

September 8, 2022

Scripture Reading: 1 Timothy 1:12-17

I am grateful to Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because he judged me faithful and appointed me to his service, even though I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a man of violence. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the foremost. But for that very reason I received mercy, so that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display the utmost patience, making me an example to those who would come to believe in him for eternal life. To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

I, too, am grateful to Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because he judged me faithful and appointed me to his service. I truly do not know where I would be without the love of God, the model of Jesus, and the guidance of the Holy Spirit.  I am a cradle Christian and reading this scripture made me wonder if I take for granted God’s love. I think we can, and we should take God for granted, but we must do that with humility and the knowledge that we are responsible servants of God’s call to share that love with everyone. As we grow into adulthood, we must choose to accept that responsibility and claim our own path to service.

All people were not born into the faith, and even those who were born in a faith-practicing family may not have experienced God’s love in a manner that welcomed them into his service. It breaks my heart when I read about or meet someone who has withdrawn from their faith community or worse been asked to leave it because they do not meet that community’s standards for serving God. I do not know of a time in my life when our faith communities needed to turn around from the ways that drive us away from loving like God and reclaim that which God is ready and eager to heal making us all whole so that we can love all of God’s children made in God’s image.

Prayer: Lord, make us whole, make us one, make us just. 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.

A time to Die

Living in the Spirit

September 7, 2022

Scripture Reading: Psalm 51:1-10

Prayer for Cleansing and Pardon
To the leader. A Psalm of David, when the prophet Nathan came to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.

Have mercy on me, O God,
   according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy
   blot out my transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
   and cleanse me from my sin.

For I know my transgressions,
   and my sin is ever before me.
Against you, you alone, have I sinned,
   and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you are justified in your sentence
   and blameless when you pass judgement.
Indeed, I was born guilty,
   a sinner when my mother conceived me.

You desire truth in the inward being;
   therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart.
Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
   wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Let me hear joy and gladness;
   let the bones that you have crushed rejoice.
Hide your face from my sins,
   and blot out all my iniquities.

Create in me a clean heart, O God,
   and put a new and right spirit within me.

I am writing this the day after James Coddington was executed in Oklahoma. He killed a friend after going on a rampage of stealing from stores to buy drugs. He had served 15 years in prison for the crime and had become a changed man. He peacefully accepted his death by human hands not by God’s timing.

Psalm 51 is one of my favorites. I usually do not quote the headings added by the publisher of the Bible cited below that I copy for these postings. I quoted it today because it describes why David prayed the prayer. His affair with Bathsheba had caught up with him. I take to heart Romans 3:23 since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. It reminds us of our need to maintain a close and meaningful relationship with God. I also do not believe any human has been given the right to pronounce final judgment on anyone. God always leaves open the opportunity for forgiveness and restoration. Humans should too.

Prayer: Lord, forgive us for not loving our neighbors by granting them the time to live that allows them to seek God’s forgiveness however long it might take until God decides their time to die. 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.

Gifted by God

Living in the Spirit

September 6, 2022

Scripture Reading: Exodus 32:7-14

The Lord said to Moses, ‘Go down at once! Your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have acted perversely; they have been quick to turn aside from the way that I commanded them; they have cast for themselves an image of a calf, and have worshipped it and sacrificed to it, and said, “These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!” ’ The Lord said to Moses, ‘I have seen this people, how stiff-necked they are. Now let me alone, so that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them; and of you I will make a great nation.’

But Moses implored the Lord his God, and said, ‘O Lord, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, whom you brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? Why should the Egyptians say, “It was with evil intent that he brought them out to kill them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth”? Turn from your fierce wrath; change your mind and do not bring disaster on your people. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, how you swore to them by your own self, saying to them, “I will multiply your descendants like the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have promised I will give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.”’ And the Lord changed his mind about the disaster that he planned to bring on his people.

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has. –Margaret Mead. I always think of the 12 Disciples when I read this quote, but according to the above scripture, God saw that Moses was a person who could change the world. The challenge is whether the group wants to change the world for good or bad. Hitler and his group of henchmen turned the world upside down. Putin seems to be trying to follow in his footsteps at least regarding war.

After being freed from slavery in Egypt and fed with manna in the wilderness. One would think the Israelites would have had a longer-term commitment to God’s power. They did not. They wanted a god that could wave a magic wand and address every need they had. Don’t we all? God did not create humans in God’s image to be totally dependent on him for our every wish. God wanted partners with whom God could share the world and in it the task of developing the beloved community. We should be grateful for the honor of serving such a loving God and join enthusiastically in serving God. Paul described the traits God provides us for facing each challenge we meet.  We need to recognize and nurture these described in 1 Corinthians 12. They are wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord. Practicing God’s gifts results in the fruit of the spirit named in Galatians 5:22-23  – But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

Prayer: Forgive us when we turn from your ways to the world’s ways. Grant us the resilience we need to use your gifts to the benefit of all. 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

Living in the Spirit

September 5, 2022

Scripture Reading: Jeremiah

4:11-12, 22-28

At that time it will be said to this people and to Jerusalem: A hot wind comes from me out of the bare heights in the desert towards my poor people, not to winnow or cleanse— a wind too strong for that. Now it is I who speak in judgment against them.
‘For my people are foolish,
   they do not know me;
they are stupid children,
   they have no understanding.
They are skilled in doing evil,
   but do not know how to do good.’

I looked on the earth, and lo, it was waste and void;
   and to the heavens, and they had no light.
I looked on the mountains, and lo, they were quaking,
   and all the hills moved to and fro.
I looked, and lo, there was no one at all,
   and all the birds of the air had fled.
I looked, and lo, the fruitful land was a desert,
   and all its cities were laid in ruins
   before the Lord, before his fierce anger.

For thus says the Lord: The whole land shall be a desolation, yet I will not make a full end.
Because of this, the earth shall mourn,
   and the heavens above grow black;
for I have spoken, I have purposed;
   I have not relented nor will I turn back.

Jeremiah does not mince words, and still, the people did not pay attention to him. The world he describes sounds a whole lot like ours. The western third of our nation is in a dire state regarding water, the most basic need of living. We seem skilled in doing evil largely related to greed. When the bill was recently passed in Congress including a provision that the staff at the IRS would be increased so they could investigate and deal better with tax cheaters, many were outraged saying it would raise our taxes. They did not seem to recognize that if they are not cheating on their taxes, the taxes will not go up. That reminded me of the County Commissioner crisis in Oklahoma in the 1970s where most of the Commissioners were taking kickbacks on county contracts. When challenged about the process, their answer was everyone was doing it.

We are called to do right and doing right is designed to make our lives better.

Prayer: Lord, forgive us for burying our heads in the sand and ignoring the small and large things in our lives that negatively impact 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.

Seeking the Final Goal

Living in the Spirit

September 4, 2022

Scripture Reading: Luke 14:25-33

Now large crowds were traveling with him; and he turned and said to them, ‘Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not first sit down and estimate the cost, to see whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it will begin to ridicule him, saying, “This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.” Or what king, going out to wage war against another king, will not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to oppose the one who comes against him with twenty thousand? If he cannot, then, while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and asks for the terms of peace. So therefore, none of you can become my disciple if you do not give up all your possessions.

I turned off the final analysis of the primary runoff that occurred in Oklahoma on August 24 and flipped over to watch a rerun of a Finding Your Roots segment. History grounds me in understanding that many people had to face much worse than I have to deal with. I already knew the results of the races I cared about, and I just did not want to hear all the spin. Sometimes I feel like Elijah and just want to run away and hide. (1 Kings 18:19–19:3) Of course, my situation was not nearly as dire as his.

Jesus is saying in the scripture above that if you choose to follow him, you need to be realistic about the investment needed. The first part of being a Christ-follower is following Christ and not carving out a god that we make in the image we desire. The follow-up is living our faith and examining ourselves regularly to determine if we are, indeed, finishing the tasks to which we committed to Christ. And finally, we must remain in touch with Christ to understand his plan.

Prayer: Lord, forgive us when we let the world’s ways drag us down. Help us to love as you 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.

Love God First

Living in the Spirit

September 3, 2022

Scripture Reading: Luke 14:25-33

Now large crowds were traveling with him; and he turned and said to them, ‘Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not first sit down and estimate the cost, to see whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it will begin to ridicule him, saying, “This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.” Or what king, going out to wage war against another king, will not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to oppose the one who comes against him with twenty thousand? If he cannot, then, while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and asks for the terms of peace. So therefore, none of you can become my disciple if you do not give up all your possessions.

I wonder sometimes why translators pick the English word they want to use to help us understand the Hebrew or Greek language used in scripture. Hate is a very strong word, and I think that must have been what the translators were trying to portray, strength not despising someone. Jesus instructed us saying, ‘“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” That is strong language. (Matthew 22:37). The word miseó, translated here as hate, also means to love less or to esteem less. These definitions fit nicely with the commandment that we are to have no other gods before us. (Exodus 20:3-5) I was taught that loving God fully and first makes our love for one another even better than it would be if we did not love God at all. God’s love is as good as it gets. God’s love for us models our love for others.

Prayer: Thank you God for loving us and for modeling how to love one another. Amen.

*https://biblehub.com/greek/3404.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.