Thursday, September 30: Ezra 1- the Supreme Sovereignty of God

Merriam Webster’s Free online dictionary defines sovereignty as:

a : supreme power especially over a body politic

b : freedom from external control : autonomy

c : controlling influence

Free dictionary.com defines it as:

1. Supremacy of authority or rule as exercised by a sovereign or sovereign state.

2. Royal rank, authority, or power.

3. Complete independence and self-government.

One more definition, Merriam Webster online for sovereign:

a : one possessing or held to possess sovereignty

b : one that exercises supreme authority within a limited sphere

 

Cyrus sovereign over Persia and its expansive empire is moved by a greater sovereignty… God’s ultimate and supreme sovereignty. There is no disputing the plain reading of this chapter, God is in control. God’s will moves kings and princes, even those who do not worship God.

Before I venture deeper into this thought, let me say outright, when I use the English word God (capital ‘G’ God) I am referring to the God who reveals Himself in the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments. This God must not be confused with the god of any other religion or belief system. The Old and New Testaments are filled with accounts of other gods over which the Lord God Almighty is sovereign. According to the Bible there is only one true God, creator of all that is seen and unseen, the God of the Old and New Testament Scriptures. His names and character are defined in the scriptures and this God is not to be confused with any other god, whether from ancient or modern times.

Back to my main observation… God, not Cyrus, is ultimately sovereign. God orchestrated the entire scene played out in this chapter. God moves Cyrus (1b: the LORD moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation …) and God moved the hearts of returnees to Jerusalem (5 …everyone whose heart God had moved--prepared to go up and build the house of the LORD in Jerusalem). Every player in this chapter is moved by the Lord.

Many thoughts, questions and ideas emerge as I ponder this chapter.  One is this… I would much rather serve and worship the one ultimate God, who is sovereign over all things, than any other.

O, God, may I serve and love You well. In Jesus name, Amen.

 

Wednesday, September 29: 2Peter 3- The Day of the Lord

Peter has an interesting take on the Day of the Lord, the day Jesus returns to judge all things. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives (10-11).

Peter doesn’t become all raveled up, wondering when the Day with be. Instead, with surety he says it will come and then drives to his point, so be ready by living holy and godly lives. Live as God wants a person to live and you have no fear and no worries on the Day of the Lord, should you be alive.

Holy and godly lives… lives that honor God. Lives that witness to the fact that you follow the Lord and live according to His way. True faith -of any stripe or conviction- impacts living.

Okay then, let’s think about our living.  One big aspect of life is the use of money and resources. God probes a little deeper.  So then how do you and I use the money we receive? Do our bank statements, credit card accounts, investments, etc. reflect faith in Jesus? Is Jesus witnessed to in our expenditures? Conversely, does faith in Jesus cause us to refrain from some expenditures? Is there clear evidence of your faith in Jesus in your use of money and resources???

Our calendar is another life indicator. Would your calendar and use of the 168 hours you have weekly reveal faith in Jesus? Does your PDA offer clear evidence that you are a Christ-follower?

Relationships, family life, work ethic, political views, personal integrity, etc. offer other aspects and lenses through which we can probe our lives to see how our living witnesses to our faith in Jesus.

Go ahead, think about some of these other lenses before you close up your devotions for the day.

O, God, lately in my reading I have been seeing how much faith impacts, or is meant to impact, action. Help me to live in such a way that in big and small, obvious and obscure ways, my life reflects my faith in You. In Jesus’ name., Amen.

 

 

Tuesday, September 28: 2Peter 2- Am I enslaved?

Two thoughts wrestled for my attention. One overarching theme from this chapter seems to be how one’s behavior cannot be separated from one’s ‘faith.’ The false teachers described in this chapter are known as much for their godless living as their heretical teaching.

My second thought, which eventually won control of my devotions today, comes from verse 19. Slavery is an ugly word. It conjures up all kinds of negative, mean, cruel and exploitive images in my thoughts. It is not something I would want to endure and yet Peter suggests that I may unwittingly or voluntarily subject myself to slavery. Verse 19: … they themselves are slaves of depravity--for a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him. It is those last words that grabbed my attention, for a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him.

Thoughts in question-form flooded my head. What have I allowed to master me? Am I mastered by food? By pleasure? By adrenalin-seeking? Am I mastered by laziness? By a foul tongue? By self-centered attitude? Am I mastered by money and riches? By sex? By power? By success? By acclaim or fame? And so the question mushroomed.

The possibility of being mastered by something, doesn’t sit well with me. And yet, the more I contemplate, the more its reality seems possible…

O. God. have I subjected myself to slavery? Have I allowed myself to become fettered to a master other than You? Have I become a debtor to something other than love (Romans 13:8 Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another…).

O, Jesu,s come and break any bonds that ensnare me and set me free to follow and worship You with all my heart and soul and mind and strength.  Come set me free, Jesus.  Only You can redeem me from any slavery that shackles me. In Your name I pray. Amen.

 

Monday, September 27: 2Peter 1- Ineffective and unproductive, NO.

My eyes stuck on verse 8.  It hit me when I first read it and my eyes returned to it after completing the chapter. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Who wants to be ineffective and unproductive?  That was my first thought. I certainly don’t, neither do I know anyone who sets that as their goal.

My thoughts expanded from that center like ripples from a rock tossed in a lake. Ineffective and unproductive at what… Work? Relationships? What? Ineffective and unproductive in my knowledge of my Lord Jesus Christ…. Well, I certainly don’t want that either but it is an interesting thought and one I wouldn’t normally consider.

Unproductive in my knowledge of Jesus? Hmmm… that certainly fires off all kinds of associations in my thoughts. It suggests that I am not bearing fruit (a literal meaning for the word unproductive), that my life is not making a difference for Jesus and His kingdom, that my life and witness is not touching the lives of others. I certainly do not want that and so the circle widens further…

Peter says to keep myself from being ineffective and unproductive, I should make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love (5-7). That’s quite a ‘to-do’ list; far too much to write on this morning but a wonderful opportunity to continue chewing on today.

Before I pray one last thought comes. I notice the opening words of the list, make every effort … this list is not simply some helpful suggestions, they are actions to give my life to today and every day. Now I need to pray…

O, Lord God, it is easy to cut and paste this list, even to contemplate it but living it, that’s a challenge. It will take every effort on my behalf. It will take dedication over the long haul on my behalf. It will take… Lord, please give me the strength to keep on task, to keep applying myself to this instruction. In Jesus’ name and for His sake and the growth of His kingdom, I pray. Amen.

 

 

Saturday, September 25: 1Peter 5- Greet one another.

Most Sundays in most of the churches where I worship there is a time to greet one another. Sometimes it is formal and stylized, in other congregations it is warm and embracing, either way there is an intentional recognition of the importance of greeting fellow worshippers.

I found myself wondering about the weekly greeting ritual. Do we do it only because it is part of the liturgy or is there a sense in me that says it is important to connect, even briefly, with those who worship with me and worship around me?

This brief musing, and where it led in my thinking, was sparked by the final verse of the chapter and the letter. Peter concludes, Greet one another with a kiss of love. Peace to all of you who are in Christ (14).

Peter pens numerous commands in this chapter… be shepherds of the flock (2), be humble yourselves (6), be self-controlled and alert (8), resist (9) and so on until we come to the last, greet one another (14). I don’t normally give ‘greeting one another’ the importance of some of those other commands but there it is staring at me with the same force as the command to ‘be humble’.

It could very well be that greeting others, relating to others and how I treat others is far more important, at least to God, than I generally think…

Tomorrow when we gather for worship let’s put as much heart-felt energy and effort into to our greetings of one another as we do our singing, praying, attending to the word and giving… and let’s see what God does among us.

Lord, help me to hone the worshipping family You have given me. Help me to give my heart and soul to those You have placed around me as fellow travelers on the way of Jesus. In His name I pray.  Amen.

 

Friday, September 24: 1Peter 4- Above all.

Okay, we have chosen to follow Jesus and to bear His name. We are Christians, Christ-followers, we worship in a community… Presbyterian, Lutheran, Baptist, Protestant of some stripe or color, or Roman Catholic or Orthodox or some other brand. We worship in English or German or Hausa or Russian… great, wonderful.  All of that defines who we are and the nuances of what we believe.  But how are we to live as men and women who believe in and follow Jesus as Lord, God and Savior?

Peter provides us with a quick snapshot of life for those who would follow Jesus. Verses 8-11: Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

Love, offer hospitality, use your gifts, administer God’s grace in all its forms… your words as if you were speaking for God… serve others with strength. As we do these things, God will be praised through Jesus Christ.

Not the sum total of living for Jesus but a snapshot, a summary.

Go back and walk slowly through the verbs and descriptors. Now think, how can you apply these verbs and descriptors in your life today with the people you will meet?

You see it doesn’t matter what brand of Christ-follower you may be, this snapshot is for all of us.

O, God, help me to live for You today. Help me to love and serve, speak and show hospitality in Your name through Jesus Christ, my Lord. Amen.

 

Thursday, September 23: 1Peter 3- Don't forget the inside.

The theme of persecution for one’s faith didn’t connect with me.  That is not a present issue in my life. However, the word about inner beauty (integrity) did.

The other day a friend stopped by to cut up a tree that had fallen during a storm.  It looked like a great haul of firewood. It was, except for the last 12 or so feet. The bark, the outside, looked normal but as he cut he found that much of the lower section of the tree was rotten. Something was eating away the inside of the tree, where a human eye could not detect but when a storm came it snapped with a loud crash!

Peter suggests to wives, and by way of inference to all of us, to pay attention to our inner lives and not merely dress up our external life with available beauty aids (4, see also see Pr 31:30). That word is appropriate for all of us.

We live in an external, often superficial age… look good, look younger, hide the grey, hid the wrinkles world. Some of us push vanity too far but looking good isn’t bad. The problem is that we do not give equal attention to inner beauty or inner integrity. Life is often about appearances rather than substance. Now that’s a problem. Believe me this issue of looks affects men as well as women in our culture. How many Hollywood hunks and babes live shattered, spoiled, self-centered lives? Peter is suggesting that in many ways we are all tempted to do that.

So how should we live? Towards the end of the chapter Peter suggests a different approach to life. Verse 15-16: But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. Look into your heart and make sure that Jesus is reigning there. Regular cardio exercise is good for keeping your body healthy and fit- every Dr. will tell you so. Likewise, spiritual cardio exercise is good for keeping your inner life healthy and fit.

Set apart… look in side and pay attention to what is motivating you, what is driving you… is it Jesus?

Examine your hope… is your hope the Lord or something else?

Keep a clear conscience… does your life and actions reflect God and God’s ways? Are you obedient to His word and teaching?

God’s whisper to me, “Bill, are you spending time, enough time, keeping your inner self spiritually fit or are you merely attending to your façade? That tree in your yard fell because it was rotting inside…let that be a lesson to you….”

Lord God, help me to live a life of true integrity.  Help me to live for You through and through… In Jesus’ name, Amen.