Thursday Devotional - Faithful God even When We Mess Up (6/22/23)

 Sarah loves her new horseback riding place! We even went to watch a very experienced rider in a competition last Saturday. However, the horse got spooked and bucked the rider off. It seemed the new environment and weird fake stones in the arena threw the horse out of sorts. She didn’t trust her owner to lead her safely around. The horse made a mess of things instead of following and trusting her owner’s lead.

The Israelites did the same thing with God. He led them safely to a wonderful land and offered to provide for them and sustain them, as long as they obeyed Him. However, they decided to do things their way, not trust Him and rebel against him. They made a mess of things, too, and it didn’t turn out well!  

Jeremiah 2:13-19   “My people have committed two sins:
They have forsaken me,
    the spring of living water,
and have dug their own cisterns,
    broken cisterns that cannot hold water.
¹⁴ Is Israel a servant, a slave by birth?
    Why then has he become plunder?
¹⁵ Lions have roared;
    they have growled at him.
They have laid waste his land;
    his towns are burned and deserted.
¹⁶ Also, the men of Memphis and Tahpanhes
    have cracked your skull.
¹⁷ Have you not brought this on yourselves
    by forsaking the Lord your God
    when he led you in the way?
¹⁸ Now why go to Egypt
    to drink water from the Nile?
And why go to Assyria
    to drink water from the Euphrates?
¹⁹ Your wickedness will punish you;
    your backsliding will rebuke you.
Consider then and realize
    how evil and bitter it is for you
when you forsake the Lord your God
    and have no awe of me,”
declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty.

When have you and I made a mess of things by doing something our way? Let’s learn from our past mistakes and trust God’s way. He is Faithful and wants to help us get back up and try again.

Alice

Thursday Devotional - Faithful God as a Faithful Guide (6/15/23)

Does your GPS ever send you to the wrong location? We were travelling this weekend and were sent to a wrong parking lot. Thankfully, we realized where we really needed to be was one road over.

God doesn’t ever send us to the wrong place. He is a faithful guide!

Jeremiah 2:5-8        This is what the Lord says:

“What fault did your ancestors find in me,
    that they strayed so far from me?
They followed worthless idols
    and became worthless themselves.
⁶ They did not ask, ‘Where is the Lord,
    who brought us up out of Egypt
and led us through the barren wilderness,
    through a land of deserts and ravines,
a land of drought and utter darkness,
    a land where no one travels and no one lives?’
⁷ I brought you into a fertile land
    to eat its fruit and rich produce.
But you came and defiled my land
    and made my inheritance detestable.
⁸ The priests did not ask,
    ‘Where is the Lord?’
Those who deal with the law did not know me;
    the leaders rebelled against me.
The prophets prophesied by Baal,
    following worthless idols.

God faithfully led the Israelites through the Dead Sea, the wilderness, the desert, and darkness. How well did they remember that and look to Him to navigate their lives going forward? Not well, according to this passage.

It’s easy to see how foolish the Israelites were, but what about you and me? Are we quick to forget about God’s faithfulness in the past? Or, do we continually remember and look to Him for guidance each day?

Listen And Learn

A Gentile woman who lived there came to him, pleading, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! For my daughter is possessed by a demon that torments her severely.”

But Jesus gave her no reply, not even a word. Then his disciples urged him to send her away. “Tell her to go away,” they said. “She is bothering us with all her begging.”

Then Jesus said to the woman, “I was sent only to help God’s lost sheep—the people of Israel.”

But she came and worshiped him, pleading again, “Lord, help me!”

Jesus responded, “It isn’t right to take food from the children and throw it to the dogs.”

She replied, “That’s true, Lord, but even dogs are allowed to eat the scraps that fall beneath their masters’ table.”

“Dear woman,” Jesus said to her, “your faith is great. Your request is granted.” And her daughter was instantly healed.  Matthew 15:22-28

When I was a teenager, an early mentor of mine told me to always listen because you never when you might learn something.  It was also a necessity because my mother would have conference calls talking with colleagues from home, and I had to literally sit at times for almost an hour before I could actually speak to her.  I guess that’s where I got my sense of patience as well, and as strange as it seems, those two things would be invaluable attributes that help me to connect to people.  Why?  People want two things no matter if it is with a stranger or their spouse of over fifty years.  They want to be heard, and they want to feel valued.  To take time out to listen to someone serves that purpose because there is no more precious commodity than . . . time.  When we speak about solving problems, we cannot start unless we truly understand the issue.  What is wrong?  Why do you feel that way?  How can I help?  These are questions that we as Christians should be asking all of the time.  However when speaking to Millennials, it often feels like . . . well preaching.  When I have a conversation with my twelve year old daughter, I tend to preach first and ask second, and I need to get better at listening.   When we talk about the church being in a crisis with Millennials, we talk from a place of what we know, which is what our parents and our experiences taught us.  That’s not all bad.  However, we can’t solve this crisis preaching the Gospel first.  We can by sharing it, but we can’t share without first listening.

Jesus teaches us to listen and understand before acting.  The story of Gentile woman with great faith showed Jesus’ ability to turn listening into a teachable moment.  Here was a woman pleading with Jesus to heal her possessed daughter.  I read as the disciples urged Him to send her away, and how Jesus said nothing for a while.  Then, He said, “I was sent ONLY to help God’s lost sheep – the people of Israel.”  One might ask, “Why would Jesus exclude her just because she was not a Jew?”  This is part of the teaching because His audience was not just the Gentile woman.  It was His disciples.  When Jesus seemingly ends the discussion saying, “It isn’t right to take food from the children and throw it to the dogs,” we are almost left speechless.  This feels like our response to those who have chosen not to believe, right?  Why would we take time away from those who share our belief and spend it on you, the non-believer?  Then her response, “That’s true, Lord, but even dogs are allowed to eat the scraps that fall beneath their masters’ table,” is the most amazing and dare I say ‘perfect’ response.  What could Jesus say?  He did not dismiss her saying, “I’m the Son of God, I do not need to hear this.”  She had acknowledged Jesus as Lord, ‘master,’ and her authority figure.  He listened, and acknowledged her faith.    If we acknowledge Jesus as God, He is all knowing, and thus, He knew the response was coming from the woman.  He wants us to see that all can come to Him no matter where they came from!  It was that teachable moment for the disciples that God is God to all who would acknowledge Him as Lord of their lives, but we cannot acknowledge others without first doing as Jesus did and listen.

Spreading the Good News of Jesus requires us to understand where people are first.  Our mission then becomes to share how God can help them where they are and not condemn them for where they are.  If we are to help those who choose not to believe, our response must be to first listen and hear their pain, frustrations, and concerns of where God fits in their life.  Only then can we truly share the Good News.  Do you know someone who has rejected the Gospel?  Have you taken time out to understand why?  My prayer and challenge is that we are willing to do what we Jesus knew all along; listen and learn.  Amen.

Thurs Devo: Confidence in God

Last week we saw how dramatic and irrational the Israelites were. I probably would have gotten very upset with the Israelites and tried to point out all the miracles they had forgotten about. However, it’s not recorded that Moses and Aaron even tried to reason with them. Moses and Aaron didn’t even answer their questions, but instead, turned first to God. That’s what the Israelites should have known to do by now, too.

Numbers 20:6-9  ⁶ Moses and Aaron went from the assembly to the entrance to the tent of meeting and fell facedown, and the glory of the Lord appeared to them. ⁷ The Lord said to Moses,⁸ “Take the staff, and you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water. You will bring water out of the rock for the community so they and their livestock can drink.”

⁹ So Moses took the staff from the Lord’s presence, just as he commanded him.

Moses and Aaron had such faith and confidence in God that they didn’t worry about defending themselves to the Israelites. They humbly went to God before responding or acting. In fact, they didn’t give God suggestions on how to solve the problem. Nor did they assume God would solve their lack of water issue the same way He had in the past.

How much confidence do you and I have in God? Are we quick to defend ourselves or God? Do we give Him suggestions on how to solve our problems? Are we quick to react or move ahead with our own ideas? Or, do we humbly go to Him first before reacting, truly seeking and waiting for His unique solutions?

Alice

Thurs Devo: Why??? Why???

Toddlers can ask lots of “why” questions. After a while, it can become frustrating, especially if you’ve answered the same question time and time again! Well, the Israelites were far worse than the annoying toddler.

Numbers 20:2-5      ² Now there was no water for the community, and the people gathered in opposition to Moses and Aaron. ³ They quarreled with Moses and said, “If only we had died when our brothers fell dead before the Lord! ⁴ Why did you bring the Lord’s community into this wilderness, that we and our livestock should die here? ⁵ Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to this terrible place? It has no grain or figs, grapevines or pomegranates. And there is no water to drink!”

Why are the Israelites asking “why?” If they stopped to think for a moment, then they could answer their own questions. First, God had provided water in the desert multiple times in the past, so they could trust Him to provide this time, too. Second, God brought them into the wilderness to free them from the oppressive Egyptians AND to give them a bountiful country-land of their very own. Third, traveling through the wilderness was the means by which God would prepare them and bring them to the promised land. Fourth, the fact that they were still in the wilderness was not Moses’ fault, but a result of their own rebellion and distrust of God (see Numbers 14).

If the Israelites had stopped focusing on and dramatizing their immediate circumstances and focused instead on who God is and His faithfulness in the past, then I think their attitude would have been quite different. Instead of complaining, passing the blame, and asking “why” questions, they could have asked how and what questions. How would God address their situation? What did God want them to do to participate in the solution?

Are you and I more like the Israelites and annoying toddlers, asking “why” questions when we already know (or should know) the answer?

Or, do you and I truly know God’s character and trust His faithfulness? If so, our attitude and prayers will reflect this.

Alice

Thurs Devo: Clean Ashes

Does “clean” or “dirty” come to mind when you think of ashes? Dirty comes to my mind. However, God gave the Israelites instructions on using ashes in their water of cleansing. 

Numbers 19:9     ⁹ “A man who is clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer and put them in a ceremonially clean place outside the camp. They are to be kept by the Israelite community for use in the water of cleansing; it is for purification from sin.

It may seem strange, but that’s what God decided as a way for the Israelites to purify and cleanse themselves in His sight. Jews followed this law for centuries, otherwise they would have been cut off.

Numbers 19:20-21       ²⁰ But if those who are unclean do not purify themselves, they must be cut off from the community, because they have defiled the sanctuary of the Lord. The water of cleansing has not been sprinkled on them, and they are unclean. ²¹ This is a lasting ordinance for them.

Now that God sent Jesus as our once and for all sacrifice for sin, accepting Jesus’ blood in our place purifies us from sin. Then, we can live a life pleasing to God, in fellowship with Him and others.

Hebrews 9:13-14             ¹³ The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. ¹⁴ How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!

I John 1:7  ⁷ But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.

Are you cleansed and purified and forgiven by God?

Are you trying to clean yourself your own way?

Or have you accepted and submitted to the one way God determined?

Alice