Now What?

 Uncertainty is a great description for life. Whatever is alive has both potential and realization. All sorts of opportunities lay before anything alive, plants, animals, people, whatever. Regardless of the range of choice, opportunity, or possibility is always part of what lies ahead.

Sometimes, possibilities and opportunities that we see aren't what is realized. Often, as disciples especially, our Savior does the unforeseen. He makes the opportunity we did not see the next event. He can take what we thought impossible and make that happen. 

But we do have choice within all this. Often, it's a choice to either roll with it or fight it. Sometimes it's a choice to keep or give up. With our Savior, He usually wants us to give up, and the unforeseen event drives directly at that choice. What do I mean? Well consider a group of 120 people who, in the space of a few hours, grew to a group of about 3,000.

Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brethren, what shall we do?” Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.” And with many other words he solemnly testified and kept on exhorting them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation!” So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls. They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Acts 2:37-42 NASB

How many seats were there in the upper room anyway? They were probably cramped at 120, to be honest. Who has a house that can hold 120 people? That's not a house, it's a mansion. Now they have 3,120 (about). How do you speak to such a group without a sound system, mics, speakers, amplifiers, and so on?

What will these 3,000 do for work, now that they are staying in Jerusalem. Where will they live? They were "continually" breaking bread. That's a lot of bread. Where were they going to get that? Jesus fed 5,000 men, and then 4,000 men, but not daily. What has to happen here?

The ingathering of 3,000 souls is a lot of change to manage in a single day. I mean, it's great. But it's also overwhelming. There's certainly no going back to the old ways of doing...well, pretty much anything. Gone is the cozy upper room where everyone was feeling a sense of awe. Now it's feelings of overwhelm because not even 10% of the people fit in the upper room.

Luke doesn't record many of the problems, but he does record a solution they came up with for one of the problems in Chapter 7. The deacons were chosen because Jewish widows from outside Judea were being overlooked in the daily food distribution. So, they weren't solving these logistical issues perfectly, not at first. There was learning, growing, and adaptation that had to happen.

I think that's our challenge today. I'm not sure where to post this entry, honestly. Does it go in the Hub? If not, how does it get posted wherever it goes? Will our group exist in the new company social network? How will we adapt to the new environment? We don't know. So, what attitude should we have as we explore the way ahead?

Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles. And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common; and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need. Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved. Acts 2:43-47 NASB

Our Savior doesn't stop being amazing. He doesn't stop being sufficient, sovereign, or powerful. We, His disciples, can remain in awe of Him, we can remain together, contribute commonly, focused on the needs of each other, being of one mind (the mind of Jesus Phil. 2:5), and continue worshipping Him.

There's a way ahead, we just need to adapt to this new environment, and press on. Consider the creativity of the Creator of this universe, lying in an animal feed trough in a stable. The way ahead may be unexpected. Let's roll with it.

Thursday Devotional - God is With Us in Our Burdens

What burdens do you have right now? Does the Christmas season wear you down with all the decorating, family gatherings, missing loved ones, gift purchases, and Christmas cards? I know I feel way behind this year on what I “need” to do.

We don’t have to feel burdened. Jesus calls us to come to Him to find rest. It may include physical rest, but more importantly He offers spiritual rest and most importantly He promises eternal rest for our souls!  

Matthew 11:28-30 ²⁸ “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

As believers, we are yoked with Jesus. We can let Him do the driving. He knows where He wants us to go and how best to get there. He can also help us know what things on our plate we can cut out!

How will you and I take our burdens to Jesus this week? Then, let’s listen to and learn from Him to experience true rest this season!

Alice

Flaming Puns of Fire

 How would you describe the indescribable, and please be descriptive? Doesn't that sound like one of the modern tests our kids are facing these days? I don't miss taking the college placement exams, not at all. I'm pretty sure, though, that first sentence was the challenge faced by the writers of Scripture. In whatever way they were influenced by the Holy Spirit, every writer's challenge was to make what cannot be described in human language understandable to human creatures.

And so we have translations in English attempting to render in yet another language what had to be difficult to render in Greek when first written. Check this out:

And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance. Acts 2:2-4 NASB

Suddenly a sound like that of a violent rushing wind came from heaven, and it filled the whole house where they were staying. And tongues, like flames of fire that were divided, appeared to them and rested on each one of them. Then they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different languages, as the Spirit gave them ability for speech. Acts 2:2-4 HCSB

And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. Acts 2:2-4 ESV

Suddenly a sound like a violent wind blowing came from heaven and filled the entire house where they were sitting. And tongues spreading out like a fire appeared to them and came to rest on each one of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit, and they began to speak in other languages as the Spirit enabled them. Acts 2:2-4 NET

They're not that different, and each of these translations worked very hard at being as literal yet understandable as possible. Even so, you can discern word choices among them. Even though the same word is used in Greek for the "tongues of fire" and "other tongues" of speech, notice how some are "languages" and some are "tongues". Was it a sound or a noise? What's the difference? 

But notice the similarities. It wasn't a rushing wind. It was a sound like a rushing wind. The tongues weren't fire, they were as fire. Luke is struggling to describe the indescribable using simile. Does the description of what they saw suggest itself because of the similarity between "tongue of fire" and "tongue of mouth"? Why the sound like but not of a rushing wind? Was nothing blowing around? 

You can sort of get a sense of what happened, but not entirely. We're still left grasping at tendrils of understanding, our imaginations struggling to fill in blanks. What would it have been like to experience the sound like that but see nothing blowing around except distributed "tongues of fire" that didn't burn. Think of it. Where else did someone experience fire that didn't burn? Perhaps a bush in the desert?

Wind that doesn't blow, fire that doesn't burn, and languages they couldn't possibly know. Regardless of the differences in modern translations, the similarities are striking, and challenging.

Putting ourselves in that room, trying to imagine the sight and sound, and trying to wrap our heads around what was and wasn't happening, that's where our differences evaporate. This passage isn't divisive, it's inclusive. It wasn't about excluding anyone of differing views, it was about unifying people from every language under heaven. 

The point was to bring everyone together to hear of Jesus' redemption offer. The child we celebrate this season brings together all peoples and offers to reconnect us to our Creator. We are called to gather around a manger and worship our Creator. And while we may all be different, mostly by design, we are also all redeemed, also by design. As with any gift, we are free to accept it or reject it. 

Thursday Devotional - God is With Us in Tense Conversations

I’m guessing I’m not the only one that has stressed over potential relational conflicts. As I anticipated various scenarios with one particular person I would see over Thanksgiving, I prayed for wisdom, ways to calmly speak, what actions to take, etc. God helped me stay calm and quiet the first interaction with this person, but the second one ended heated!  

 

As I was crying and praying in my room that evening, I flipped open my Bible study and read most of Matthew 10.  

 

Matthew 10:16-20 16 “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. 17 Be on your guard; you will be handed over to the local councils and be flogged in the synagogues. 18 On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. 19 But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, 20 for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. 

 

It seemed God planned the timing of the Bible study passage just for me and my situation!!! He’s so personal! I hadn’t been arrested or flogged physically, but maybe verbally. He reassured me that He would be with me in future conversations. I didn’t need to worry, but could prayerfully trust and follow His Spirit’s lead.  

 

As you and I anticipate other tense conversations, we can look to God for His help and presence, especially when we’re witnessing about Him!  

 

Alice 

Testimony of a Witness

 I have heard from some in law enforcement that witnesses to a crime are the worst evidence. Scientific evidence is much more preferable because of the general inconsistency of your basic human. I, for one, am an excellent example of inconsistency. I totally spaced writing the entry for last week. 

Ironically, our Creator seems to prefer the inconsistent creature to the consistent scientific variety. Ever wonder why? I do, and I do still, so that's not what I'm going to figure out here. Instead, I want to point out what we started out as witnesses of, the resurrection of Jesus.

Therefore, it is necessary that of the men who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us— beginning with the baptism of John until the day that He was taken up from us—one of these must become a witness with us of His resurrection.” (Acts 1:21-22 NASB)

When I was taught to write out my testimony, I was taught a format to use: what I was like before, what happened, what I'm like now. The idea being that I'm testifying to what Jesus did to me, and how I'm different, hopefully better. But what if you're boring? What if what your Savior does in your life is so dull and interior that your testimony is a cure for insomnia? Wouldn't it be cool to have a really cool, dramatic, gut-churning, testimony of what you have witnessed our Savior do? As it turns out, we do.

I heard Sunday, over and over, how great the name of Jesus is. The person using His name was trying to draw the people into worship, to focus us on Jesus, but there was this TV-Preacher feel to how she was doing it. It was focus on the name, and what He does for us rather than on Him. Not that this was necessarily the intent, it was simply the feel.

We all, every believer, every disciple, everyone believing God raised Jesus from the dead, confessing Jesus is Lord, all in that category have a testimony: Jesus is alive and active in my life. Rather than what I was like before, it's far more important what He does. 

I talk to my wife every day, multiple times throughout the day, we do stuff together, we ask each other questions, we are close in ways that aren't always obvious, and some that are. It's not what I was like before she and I talked this morning, or over lunch, it's that we talked, that we are together all the time, that we seem to share brain-cells, speak a weird symbiotic language made up of partial movie quotes and one-liners. 

I know Jesus is alive because the very warp and woof of my existence is enmeshed in His existence. His Spirit dwells in me in this weird overlay over everything I do and think. I am permeated by my Savior. I wish that meant that I stopped doing stupid stuff, never went my own way, and he and I never had to wonder what the other was thinking. Technically, He knows, I don't, sometimes I don't what either of us are thinking, and He always does.

Those who read this and are married already know that perfection doesn't describe human relationships. It doesn't describe my walk with/before my Savior either. Not His fault, it's entirely mine. But I walk with my Savior. The Creator of the universe lives within me, stays with me, and continues to relate to me because of the powerful transaction on the cross, the failure of His grave, and the continual intercession at the right hand of my Creator.

Was I saved from a life of terror, rampaging murdering and wonton destruction? Nope. Was I changed from a hopeless drug addict to a hope-filled evangelist? Not my story. My story is that I, frail, flawed, and fickle, walk with the Master of the universe. And that I do so because He invites me into this relationship, made it possible, and sustains it through His power. 

So, I too am one of those who know the story of Jesus, from the day of His baptism, through His ascension, and my "proof" is that He continues to walk with me to this day. It's relational for me, as it was for them. I haven't seen Jesus and shared a meal with Him like they had. I didn't hear the voice of some Rabbi calling me to follow him, and leave everything to obey his voice. They did that. I'm not an apostle in any sense, truly. I'm simply a witness to my Master's presence in my life.

Thursday Devotional - God Is With Us In and Sometimes Causes Our Storms

Some storms in life are not a result of sin and evil in the world, but a test from God.

I’ve read or heard the story of Jesus calming the storm numerous times. In pondering it again this week, several things stood out to me.

Matthew 8:24-27        ²³ Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. ²⁴ Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. ²⁵ The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!”

²⁶ He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.

²⁷ The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!”

Suddenly a furious storm came! Not just a little rain or a few waves. It seems God caused the impossible storm to test the faith of the disciples. I wonder if they did all their fisherman tricks before they finally woke Jesus. Did they not think God would protect His Son until the appointed time? He wouldn’t let him drown and die prematurely.

I thought about the various storms in my life right now. Of course, I’ve prayed about all of them. I know God can grow me through them, but I hadn’t thought about Him intentionally putting any of them in my life. In addition to desperately seeking His wisdom, I’m now asking for greater trust, faithful perseverance and peace, no matter the outcome.

How might all this change your prayers as you face the storms in your life?

Alice

Thursday Devotional - God Is With Us In the Rain

A couple of weeks ago my Mom, kids and I were walking in our neighborhood. It sprinkled and then stopped. We thought about calling my Dad to pick us up, but we figured we had time to finish our loop before more rain came. Then, it poured! We got drenched!!! We wished we had called Dad. Everyone wanted a warm shower once we got home!

What if we had been stuck in the rain indefinitely? I can’t imagine! However, that’s how it is for those who don’t take God and His Word seriously. They don’t have any hope through the storms of life. They also have no one with whom they can truly depend or call.

Matthew 7:24-29          ²⁴ “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. ²⁵ The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. ²⁶ But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. ²⁷ The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

²⁸ When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, ²⁹ because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.

God is available to be with us before, during and after the storms of life. He has also generously given us His Word full of life’s instructions and promises. What Scriptures are you clinging to right now as you go through some “rain?”

Alice  

Thursday Devotional - God Is With Us In Our Worry

 

Has the Pandemic increased worry??? Yes!

Even among Christians? Yes!

Should it? No!

 

Even when things seem in chaos, God is still in control. In fact, He knows each one of our needs before we do!

Matthew 6:25-34 ²⁵ “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? ²⁷ Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life^[e]?

²⁸ “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. ²⁹ Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. ³⁰ If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? ³¹ So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. ³³ But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. ³⁴ Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

God is with us in our worry. We can give it over to Him because He already knows what we need, how best to provide for it, and what the end result will be. I can’t change anything by worrying, except decrease my own mental health and increase my stress! I can ask God for wisdom on how to face the worrisome situation and then listen for His guidance. He’s with me and has the best solution!  

Alice

Whatcha Lookin At?

 Remember the scene in some movie: people looking up, shielding their eyes against the bright sun, trying to catch a glimpse of something there, squinting to catch just a bit more detail. And then, someone walks up, standing with them, glancing up to the sky, but looking more at the people than what the people are looking for. When they eventually get the sky-watchers attention, it turns out they were looking for the someone right next to them.

It's a recurring scene idea, used in Indiana Jones movies, comedies, and Acts.

Imagine it, Jesus has spent 40 days with His disciples, providing "convincing proofs" of His resurrection, clarifying the Scriptures about Himself, and simply being with them. Luke is specific, that Jesus shares about the Kingdom of God. And finally, after these days come to a close, Jesus leads them out of Jerusalem to the Mount of Olives, one of His favorite places. They know He's leaving, and figure now is as good a time as any to ask a question burning in their minds, one He has ironically not covered in forty days.

“Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6b)

I think (you may not) that it's ironic, and part of Luke's point to his audience, that Jesus speaks to them regarding the Kingdom of God, and they ask about the Kingdom of Israel. I think that difference is why Jesus answers as He does:

He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority; 8 but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.” (Acts 1:7-8 NASB)

The message is supposed to go farther than Israel. The good news is for the world, not a single kingdom. And that's not to say they didn't understand that, but that they could not conceive of a mechanism to carry that message that wasn't Israel. God had always worked through Israel. And He still would, but only to a point. Those eleven were about to become the "jumping off point" of a work of God the likes of which none of them could imagine.

And so they stood, looking into the sky where Jesus had disappeared into clouds. And these two guys walk up wearing shining clothing. I imagine the scene, like so many of those movies. "Whatcha lookin at?" And the resulting shock of those who hadn't noticed them.

In a way, many believers are sort of stuck, looking at the sky, struggling to wrap their heads around God choosing a different method than what they had imagined and prepared for. Which is ironic to me because that is how I see God's method throughout Scripture, the unexpected and unplanned for. Jesus' birth, Jesus' ministry, and His crucifixion were all completely unexpected. They were looking for a messiah, not God Himself. They were looking for a king, not the King of Kings. They were looking for a prophet, but not a High Priest and Prophet and King, somewhat like Melchizadek.

And then, after rising, He leaves. Just like that. How weird. Where's He going? When is He coming back? Is He coming back? That's what the two guys answer. "Yes, He'll be back just like you saw Him leave." Yeah, but when? Not our problem. Our problem is to obey until that happens.

So, we can get a crick in our neck, looking at the sky, or sore muscles working the harvest before us. Maybe it would be best to split our time between the two. You never can tell with God, He may just surprise us...again.

Thursday Devotional - God Is With Us In Injustice

 If someone snatches something from us, we usually try to grab it back. When my kid’s sweatshirt was supposedly stolen, we tried to get it back. I wonder what would have happened if we had applied Matthew 5.

Matthew 5:38-42 ³⁸ “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ ³⁹ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. ⁴⁰ And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. ⁴¹ If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. ⁴² Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.

Instead of trying to get the sweatshirt back, what if we had given a fashionable coat to the person we thought took the sweatshirt?

 

This is extremely difficult on the “sweatshirt” level, much less in larger situations. We’ve had renters abandon apartments or not pay their last month’s rent. We haven’t written them a check equal to a second month’s rent!!! Maybe this would “kill some with kindness.”

Romans 12:17-21         Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. ¹⁸ If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. ¹⁹ Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. ²⁰ On the contrary:

“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
    if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”

²¹ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

God sees the injustice! In Matthew 5, Jesus commands us not to get even or retaliate. God sees and it is for Him to avenge. This is super hard for me to truly trust and apply!!!

 

Alice