Devotion 1.19.23

 "I appeal to you,, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgement." 1 Corinthians 1:10

Who is the GOAT (greatest of all time)? I believe our own Pastor Dan once referred to this in a sermon, so it's not a new thought. To the point of the first question, the GOAT in what? Let's stick with football. Tom Brady occupies the top spot, without argument from me, based on records held and championships won with him at the helm as QB, in an era when the QB is the dominant player. I'm not talking likability, yet I've never really found anything in him to dislike personally. Yes, given my history of watching football, I can give a list of greats, but in terms of being likely the key position to produce a champion in a given sport, Tom Brady occupies that spot. 

Now you might follow another vein of thinking, and that's okay. I don't possess a tremendous amount of facts and stats in an era where that's all that matters (the analytics crowd that takes all the fun out of a conversation who ignore the truth that facts and stats aren't necessarily truth). I do have a historical perspective that begins in the 1960s. I saw greats then and through today. Yet each of us has a favorite who may not be (probably isn't) Tom Brady.

That gets revealed on game day. Whose jersey were you willing to invest in? Mahomes is dominant in this region. I see any number of Cowboy jerseys as well. You get the idea.

In Corinth, Paul is dealing with a different form of division that is far more dangerous, one in the church. Church divisions, to the Christian faith, can be the most dangerous simply because it can divert the faithful in terms of what is truth? Paul makes that clear in this passage. The truth is the Lord Jesus Christ. In fact, the the first nine verses of this chapter, Paul uses Christ's full name, "Lord Jesus Christ," five times, now six in v 10. We don't follow people in the church, we follow our Lord Jesus Christ and His Word, the Word of God.

Our prayer is that our leaders focus our attention on God's Word and our Lord Jesus Christ. When important matters come before us, we ask that we turn to God's Word and seek the will of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Devotion 1.16.17

"O Lord, my heart is not lifted up; my eyes are not raised too high; I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me. But I have calmed and quieted my soul." Psalm 131:1 - 2

It was a busy weekend from start to finish. There was work around the house and the church. There was sports. There was an opportunity to use the smoker which turned into a work project all its own (pellet grills and water don't mix well if the pellets get wet). There was a great deal of traffic on social media about this and that reflecting the news of the day and the upcoming football games. I made the mistake of saying Tom Brady should have remained retired and gone out with his dignity intact.

When it came time to go to church, my mind was occupied with all kinds of things - things done and yet to be done. Psalms 120 - 134 are fifteen chapters of the Book of Psalms all connected under the title of "The Songs of Ascents." They reflect the pilgramage to the temple in Jerusalem including entering the temple. The pilgrim entered the temple after ascending to its heights in the city and then took the steps to ascend to worship. These songs each represent a phase of the journey.

Psalm 131 is a journey within. That part of the journey that is inward. How do we approach the living God? According to the psalmist, we surrender the outside world. Issues are brought to God and left there so our minds are clear. David writes this psalm dedicated to his frame of mind (king of Israel) as he approaches the Lord. It is the only psalm in the series written by David and in 132, the psalmist speaks of seeking God like David did and finding a dwelling place for the Lord.

What is our attitude as we approach God? One of humility as well as one of quieted souls. We pray as we approach God for humility as well as for peace within. That peace provided by His Son is there to quiet our souls as we seek strength, comfort and forgiveness.

Devotion 1.12.23

 "As a deer pants for flowing streams, so my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for the God, for the living God;... Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God." Psalm 42:1, 2, 5

I cannot tell you how many times I see on social media people who call upon the name of a dearly departed loved one. Moms and dads typically occupy the top spot. "Oh how I miss not having you to talk to" or a variation on that theme is what I read most often. Dr. Kari Vo, Lutheran Hour devotion writer, notes in her devotion based on 1 Corinthians 1:1-9 (1.11.23) how often Paul calls on "the Lord Jesus Christ" and asks how and when we do the same?

I note the reason given for calling on loved ones is a similar reason Dr. Vo gives for calling on Christ: a deep need for help in a broken world.

The psalmist, however, points us in a direction more accurate. "Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me?" The brokenness is internal, part of a broken world but also a reminder of our broken lives within. We see the world as an "external thing," and its brokenness is part of the sin and evil in that world. Yet when we, like the psalmist, seek God, we acknowledge that we are "in turmoil within."

I can think of the number of head shakes in disbelief I have had in life for "those" people, usually those people who I think are part of the evil that corrupts the world in some way. You know the list. Yet when I call on Christ, I think I need to be much more specific and truthful. "Help me in my inner turmoil." My own corruption and the effect that can have on me and those around me.

The Psalms are a wonderfully accurate book of the bible to laser focus our language from God's Word to meet our needs. We pray for God to help us in our time of need, specifically the turmoil within my own soul.

Hope Men's Ministry