APRIL 1, 2022

  “When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.”

― Viktor E. Frankl

JUDGES 6-7

11The angel of the Lord came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites. 12When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.”

13“Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our ancestors told us about when they said, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian.”

14The Lord turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?”

15“Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.”

16The Lord answered, “I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites, leaving none alive.”(6:11-16)

LUKE 8:1-21

11“This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God. 12Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. 13Those on the rocky ground are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away. 14The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. 15But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.

JOURNAL 

Gideon comes into power and leads Israel out of the predicament with the Midianites. Jesus confirms that it is the heart that really matters, not he strongest or the one who has the most but those whose hearts are noble and good and that hear the word, retain it and produce a crop. 

I absolutely love the story of Gideon...he is a nobody and yet God uses him, chooses him to lead a band of just 300 men to overcome tens of thousands. It is interesting that these two verses get paired together. Jesus' words confirm exactly what we see in Gideon. It is the heart that matters...The seed needs good soil. We must be the good soil to receive God's power and love in a way that produces fruit. 

I love that our God is a God of underdogs, I love that he continually uses the least to accomplish the greatest feats. The daily challenge in life is to see and truly understand the incredible opportunity that exists no matter our circumstance. The opportunity to live a life of purpose and joy and to share that life with others. That opportunity exists every single day and each moment of that day. To get caught up in the noise and weeds of life is the greatest threat to that purpose and joy. 

22But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, forebearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

GALATIANS 5:22-26

MARCH 31, 2022

  “Find your authentic voice, become vulnerable, and then put yourself out there.” 

― Meredith Brooks

JUDGES 3-5

   31“Thus let a
ll Your enemies perish, O LORD;
            But let those who love Him be like the rising of the sun in its might.”
            And the land was undisturbed for forty years.

LUKE 7:31-50

31Jesus went on to say, “To what, then, can I compare the people of this generation? What are they like? 32They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling out to each other:

“ ‘We played the pipe for you,

and you did not dance;

we sang a dirge,

and you did not cry.’

33For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ 34The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ 35But wisdom is proved right by all her children.”

JOURNAL

Upon Israel's rebellion God raises up Judges who continually rescue Israel from the Kings who would enslave them, Othniel, Ehud and Deborah...Jesus answer's the Pharisees criticism.

Being faithful does not mean just modifying behavior.  Because being faithful has nothing to do with pleasing people.  People ultimately cannot be pleased, playing to the crowd and trying to receive affirmation from the world will ultimately lead someone into a narcissistic mess.  I think this is what Jesus was saying in these verses.  Man cannot receive the power and love for his life through the applause, approval and affirmation of others.  

There are times when this can be confusing, especially when juxtaposed to the generally accepted principles of business. Good business says you do a job and you get a just reward.  God says you fail miserably and confess it and I give you the keys to heaven.  Good business says you must earn your way.  God says you must only accept my love. These paradoxes often have caused me to struggle in living out my faith in the midst of our world. 

Why are these God's ways? I think it's because God demands that we come to terms and face our own fallibility, our fears, our insecurities, our double-mindedness. It is the only way that we can be humbled into the acceptance of grace, which is the only way for us to in turn give real love. Once the masks fall and we are loved just as we are, then we no longer HAVE to perform. Performance becomes an expression of our gratitude and love, rather than a desperate pursuit of love. 

This is precisely why the ways of the world can never be confused with the way of the cross, which is why Jesus calls us to follow him. To do so requires that I acknowledge my need and also accept his love for me...it is then that I discover my own unique voice. I get to stop pretending and can actually settle into my own skin, free to be me, free to go into to the world with my scars, flaws and limitations. No longer am I chained to a life of comparison and wishing for my life to be different  but rather I can embrace all of what makes me...me. It is in this moment that all the things I doubted and feared become my strength, my sins become my proof of grace and I become a force and an expression of the heart of God.  This is the good news and this is the heart of the gospel. 

5Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”6Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7If you really know me, you will know^b my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.” 

JOHN 14:5-7

MARCH 30, 2022

 “Most of the evil in this world is done by people with good intentions.”  

~ T.S. Eliot

JUDGES 1-2

20Therefore the Lord was very angry with Israel and said, “Because this nation has violated the covenant I ordained for their ancestors and has not listened to me, 21I will no longer drive out before them any of the nations Joshua left when he died. 22I will use them to test Israel and see whether they will keep the way of the Lord and walk in it as their ancestors did.” 23The Lord had allowed those nations to remain; he did not drive them out at once by giving them into the hands of Joshua.

LUKE 7:1-30

He was not far from the house when the centurion sent friends to say to him: “Lord, don’t trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. 7That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. 8For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” 9When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, “I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel.” 10Then the men who had been sent returned to the house and found the servant well.

JOURNAL

I recently was confronted with the idea that people are all doing the best they know how...meaning that everyone's actions are a result of them securing and doing what they believe is right and good. At first I bristled at this, thinking that so many times I have heard this and said this, when reality was that I knew better and to my estimation I was not.  I have continually operated under this idea that I could get control of my actions and be perfect.  Reality is...that has never happened.  In fact, what I have continually discovered is that changing behavior is a grueling and difficult process, most often leaving me falling far short of the ideal.  

The reason is because there are so many subtle and sub-conscious things that influence the decisions I make everyday.  My past, my emotions...all derived from ingrained patterns of behavior that I do not fully and consciously understand.  Therefore to think that I can just be convicted and understand right from wrong and then simply choose to do better is a pipe dream. It is far more difficult than that. Because at the end of the day, I can always look back and see where I could have done better, where I failed, where I mailed it in, where I lost focus, where I was selfish, etc. etc. There is always more that could and can be done, always more that could have been given...it never ends. 

So where does that leave me and where does that leave the world? For me, it leaves me at the uncomfortable and vulnerable position of surrendering to God my best behavior and self-righteousness. It humbles me in a way that lets me know all of my righteousness is never enough.  That's why I trust God and cling to a savior, because all my efforts still fall short in the end. The only thing that makes them worthy is Christ himself, the one who takes my feeble offerings and efforts and makes them righteous.   It leaves me in the very simple position of focusing on today, this moment rather than tomorrow. It finally leaves me in the position of gratitude for grace and forgiveness and a God who takes my rags and crumbs and makes them enough.

Soo...thinking back through the idea that people are doing the best they can...I guess I agree and the reality is, that is why people need God and need a savior. Because the best we can do is far, far from righteous.

8When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. “Why this waste?” they asked. 9“This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor.”

10Aware of this, Jesus said to them, “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me.11The poor you will always have with you,^a but you will not always have me. 12When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. 13Truly I tell you, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”

MATTHEW 26:8-13

MARCH 29, 2022

 

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.” 
― Martin Luther King Jr.

JOSHUA 23-24

14“Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” 

LUKE 6:27-49

27“But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. 29If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. 30Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. 31Do to others as you would have them do to you.32“If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. 33And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. 34And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. 35But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. 36Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

JOURNAL

This passage is one of those that draws a line in the sand as to what will define the believer and Jesus leads it off in his teaching on love.  This fly's in the face of everything that we are taught and that we teach our children in regard to living in our culture. This sort of love and this sort of devotion seems like self-sabotage, not love. Although I have read this passage multiple times it still is like cold water in the face...

It is impossible to live this way without Christ.  In our culture...following and loving this way seems as if it would lead to sure destruction.  Yet Jesus tells us clearly in no uncertain terms that this is how we are to love and this is how we are to live.  

How do we do this?  How do I give to those who hate me?  How do I lend and not expect repayment? How do I allow things to be taken and not ask for them? How do I allow someone to hurt me and continually love them in the face of that hurt?  It is impossible without Christ. I think this is where we truly have to live life one day at a time and trust Christ one moment and one circumstance at a time. 

If this is to be my guide then I need to consult God every day, every moment. I don't have time to worry about the future or the past. I truly believe this is the point...getting us to fully surrender. Getting us to abandon any agenda that does not line up with God's direction for our lives. 

7Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. 8Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. 9Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. 10Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. 

GALATIANS 6:7-10

MARCH 28, 2022

 “Disasters, he proposed, create a "community of sufferers" that allow individuals to experience an immensely reassuring connection to others”

― Sebastian Junger

JOSHUA 21-22

43So the Lord gave Israel all the land he had sworn to give their ancestors, and they took possession of it and settled there. 44The Lord gave them rest on every side, just as he had sworn to their ancestors. Not one of their enemies withstood them; the Lord gave all their enemies into their hands. 45Not one of all the Lord’s good promises to Israel failed; every one was fulfilled. 

LUKE 6:1-26

 20Looking at his disciples, he said:

“Blessed are you who are poor,

for yours is the kingdom of God.

21Blessed are you who hunger now,

for you will be satisfied.

Blessed are you who weep now,

for you will laugh.

22Blessed are you when people hate you,

when they exclude you and insult you

and reject your name as evil,

because of the Son of Man.

23“Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their ancestors treated the prophets.

JOURNAL

God gives the Israelites rest...rest from years of struggle and battle and wandering. They now have land and a kingdom in which to live and thrive. Jesus names his key disciples and then begins to give a sermon in the midst of multitudes of people who had come out to hear him and be healed. 

Jesus begins the sermon with a paradox.   Jesus begins this sermon by claiming suffering and persecution as the place of greatest blessing. Who in their right mind would ever see suffering as being blessed. It reminds me of the Seinfeld episode when George makes a commitment to do the complete opposite of every decision he normally would make...his reasoning is that if all his decisions in the past have been wrong, then the opposite of those decisions would be right.

It is obviously not that simple...or is it?  If all selfishness ultimately leads to misery...then the opposite would logically seem to be the answer.  Seek to be a servant, to give more than I receive, to embrace suffering instead of running from it.  Seek to love rather than to be loved.  What does a life dedicated to the opposite of having it all look like...I think it looks a lot like Jesus.

Thinking through these initial words of Jesus really has a way of changing mindset. Many times in life it is hard to see circumstances as blessings. However, I think it's more the fact that when we suffer we need God and in that need we collectively become what God ultimately desires for us. We no longer deal with the pride of controlling our world or seeing ourselves as better than someone else. We are brought together under a common suffering.  

Sebastian Junger wrote a book called Tribe. In it he documented cases upon cases of people bonding together during really difficult circumstances. One of the paradoxes was that when they looked back on those times they considered them as some of the most joyous of their lives.  It is comforting to know that God sees, God loves and God will always provide a way for love and joy...we must just be willing to trust and follow. 

27And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.

 LUKE 14:27