Devotion 7.26.23

Hebrews 12

"“My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline,

    and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,

6 because the Lord disciplines the one he loves,

    and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.”

I have been listening to a digital copy of Jordan Peterson's "12 Rules for Life" (Canada, Random House, 2018). It is fascinating. I first heard Peterson interviewed a year ago, but I had heard favorable comments about him.

Peterson is fascinating in that he's very well-educated and well-read, a clinical psychologist by trade, but he's grounded. He isn't the random professor in front of the class who is absent-minded and wanders off topic, then wanders from the room because his mind switched to a phone call he forgot to make before he came to class. Peterson is clear, concise, and he makes his point which may offend the listener yet is hard to argue with. 

His chapters in his book are the rules themselves, and chapter five is, "Don't let your children do anything that makes you dislike them." It's a trip down how to raise your child well, and also it is a painful reminder of those things I failed to do as a parent.

In the chapter, he notes what a parent does that makes a child adapt behaviors that can, in the long run, be detrimental to their mastery of life skills. Allowing your child to behave in a manner that is unfit for the occasion is one such area he discusses, The fit being thrown for the world to see and hear, while the parent remains passive, counts to three, then four, five and six while the child remains loud and out of sorts as people begin to take notice. The parent who sets few or no boundaries for the child leaving broad latitude for the situation is another area he discusses. Rules and boundaries are meant to be set, not negotiated with by a two- or three-year-old (or older).

Not disciplining your child, actively, leave him or her unable to master life skills to deal with the chaos we call life, as Peterson notes, God's discipline His children, us to help us master skills necessary to navigate the chaos of this world, a chaos created at the Fall of Adam. God created order in the six working days of creation in Genesis 1 as Robert Kolb notes in his book on faith, The Christian Faith (St. Louis, Concordia Publishing, 1993). Chaos was reintroduced thanks to disobedience by Adam. God has been disciplining us ever since.

As a parent, we do these things because we love our children. Our sinful nature makes us resistant, but God, who is faithful and just, does the same with us because He loves us as well.

Pray for wisdom and guidance as a parent, mentor, guide or one who is turned to for advice. Ask God for strength, because kids will test those boundaries (especially in those teen years). Ask God for clarity, because, as Peterson notes, in the end, we want to "like" our children.

Devotion 7.12.23

Psalm 62

1 Truly my soul finds rest in God;

    my salvation comes from him.

2 Truly he is my rock and my salvation;

    he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.

Summer is the time for vacation traditionally. That was the message the Sunday I led our service with our pastor and his family out on the great American vacation. We plan vacations, and more often than not we find ourselves much like Clark Griswold, with the greatest laid plans gone awry. 

Why is that? Over expectations can be one reason. We hope for perfection and when it, like life, is less than perfect, we find ourselves disappointed. Poor planning and not really knowing what lies ahead or how to get there, or too much planning and little room for moments that arise and surprise us. Poor budget planning for the unexpected. Today with air travel, that itself can lead to problems. Family dynamics also play a part. Being together that long will certainly find a way of getting into the cracks and crevices of relationships.

Where do we go to rest and escape? In this life, any earthly refuge we seek will have ups and downs, highs and lows, and the potential to disappoint.

David, today's psalmist, tells us where he finds refuge. Christ, too, invites us to turn to him to seek rest in Matthew 11. Christ is our refuge, our rock, our salvation. In Him, we find rest.

July 4 2023 Devotion

1 Peter 2

16 Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. 17 Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.

"My dream is of a place and a time where America will once again be seen as the last best hope of earth."

— Abraham Lincoln

We cannot serve two masters is how Christ taught us. As Christians, we live in two kingdoms, God's and our earthly kingdom. Most of us reading this are in the United States of America which is a land that ensures certain rights for its citizens.

Many people talk about battles in the Revolutionary War as "the shot heard 'round the world," but in my humble opinion, it was the ideas expressed by our leaders of that day that carried forward through present day that are the "shots heard 'round the world." Words matter, as do ideas that words center around.

However, we know as citizen's of God's kingdom, our work here is to bring people to Christ (Augustine), Scripture is silent on government in terms of rights and citizenship in this world, only acknowledging that governments are placed here by God to keep and maintain order (Paul). There is a scene in 1 Samuel 8 in which Samuel laments that Israel insists on an earthly king because, well, everyone else has one, and God tells Samuel to take heart, it's not his fault. God then tells Samuel exactly what we get when we ask for a king (government) which reads like Jefferson's quotes in the Declaration of all the "sins" the king in his day committed to justify this separation.

President Lincoln notes during one of the more stressful times in our nation's history of his hope in the restoration of liberty which attracts people to our nation. However, our hope is in Christ. Peter notes that we "fear God, honor the emperor." 

Think today of the liberties we enjoy and are entrusted with as a generation handing the next generation the rights and privileges we enjoy. Pray that God watch over us and keep us secure in those "freedoms" of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, and pray that God help those who are of faith in lands that are openly hostile to that faith to the point of imprisonment and death. Pray that one day all the saints are together in God's kingdom in His presence. God is our ultimate sovereign and to Him be the glory.

Have a blessed 4^th of July.

Father's Day Devotion 6.18.23

Proverbs 3

11 My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline,

    and do not resent his rebuke,

12 because the Lord disciplines those he loves,

    as a father the son he delights in.

A father disciplines a son he delights in? "I love you son, so let me show that by paddling your behind."

The are several reasons that we have a men's ministry at Hope:

1. Create an environment that encourages men to be comfortable in a setting with other men of God to grow in faith.
2. Encourage men to be the man God intended us to be in terms of spiritual leadership in our families, churches, and communities.
3. Provide a setting that holds men accountable while at the same time expresses grace for the purpose of knowing our misgivings are forgivable and redeemable.
4. Share that good news with other men who may not know God.

So to the passage from the beginning of the devotion. Unfortunately, the word discipline gets lost in translation. A father disciplines his son or daughter by teaching him the ways of faith and life. That can include an abundance of things, but most certainly a faith life, a disciplined approach to work, family and friends, how to navigate the complexities found in this world while remaining grounded in his or her daily walk.... you get the idea.

You, as a husband/father, are a critical element in the balance of life for your family. As I did a search on Google for the "best bible passage" for the devotion for Father's Day, the search yielded an abundance of scripture passages emphasizing a father's role in the development of the family, as a provider and protector, as a teacher, as a bold proclaimer of faith. It created a checklist of every possible way I failed as a father.

Hence the grace we seek when we fail. We hold each other accountable by listening and, when given permission, providing advice or suggestions. We should at all times remind one another of the grace that is in abundance as well for our shortcomings.

Blessings on your day, Father's Day. Our prayer is that God's Spirit guide us and give us strength as men of God to teach and create discipline in our children and within our families as a whole. God be with you each and every day on your journey as a father.

Happy Father's Day men.

Devotion 5.25.23

1 Peter 5

"6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. 7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

10 And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. 11 To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen."

(I heard a devotional on Tuesday led by Pastor Allan Eckert of Trinity Lutheran San Angelo. Having missed our church service on Sunday, I missed our pastor, Pastor Eric Hiner, speak to this passage in his series based on 1 Peter. Some of what you read today is based on Pastor Eckert's devotion.)

We know that Satan is defeated due to Christ's suffering, death and resurrection, but Satan is like the dog behind a fence that reads "Beware of dog." Looking over that fence, we see a dog chained with limited reach, but we still insist on going into the fenced yard and once inside, finding out why the dog is dangerous. Why?

Peter uses the phrase "sober-minded" three times in his letter. The phrase is essentially at the beginning, middle, and end. He uses it a final time in this passage. Unfortunately, we equate "sober-minded" with "sobriety" which infers absent a state of inebriation. That's not the case here in Peter, and Peter speaks directly to this in verses 6 & 7. Humility is a state of putting God first and casting our anxieties, cares and concerns on Him. Unfortunately, the alternative is worry, and who among us is a "Worry Champion." I get so worried sometimes that I forget what I was actually worried about and worry about that too. Then I remember what it was and resume my worry about that.

What is it that allows something as simple as worry to become a tool of Satan? I can speak from experience that worry leads to David's solution which comes from arrogance thinking my mind can solve the problem it helped create. Arrogance is far from humility and taking matters into my own hands means I'm ignoring God's "mighty hand." You get the idea.

Satan may be a leashed dog in a yard, but sometimes Satan can be disarming and tempt us in ways that look harmless until we realize we are in the snare of a really bad dog.

The commandments are written in an order that places God first. Peter is telling us to humble ourselves at the foot of the cross and to focus on Christ. We have the assurance of our faith no matter what are facing.

What is it you are facing? Unplug today and see how you, and I, can let go and give it to God and ask His Spirit for guidance.

Devotion 5.11.23

1 Peter 2

"20 But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. 21 To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.

22 “He committed no sin,

    and no deceit was found in his mouth.”[a]

23 When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. 24 “He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.” 25 For “you were like sheep going astray,”[b] but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls."

I love a great baseball or football game, but in order to love a great game of football or baseball, you have to love a great team who knows how to win. I refuse to follow a team by " assignment." Being born in Houston, the Astros have given us some great years of baseball, but many people forget the "bad years." Unlike the nation of Israel, I'm not wandering in the desert with a team simply because some people, deluded in their thinking, believe you stick with them no matter what.

But if I think baseball has had some lean years, I compare the Astros to the Oilers or now the Texans and think that pro football in Houston makes pro baseball look absolutely great. So when I started pulling for Kansas City, people started asking, "Who are you pulling for this year?" (These are the people who probably buy Fords or Chevys because dad and grandpa did.) "I'm pulling for a champion," is my response. Yes, in America, we have choice, and I choose not to follow or buy garbage. I can choose great movies to watch, great shows to view on TV or streaming, great stores or brands to buy, and I can choose great sports' teams. I'm not buying or following losers who are poorly run because of some clause, unwritten in sports, that says you stay with a team for life, not if they don't align with excellence or my values. 

That said, when do I abandon Jesus? Jesus, who gave me examples of great teachings, words to live by and to hear daily, and gave me a path to follow. Jesus who saved me from my wretched self. That Jesus, when do I choose to follow him or not follow him? When I read Peter's list, I realize I abandon him daily. Christ lived as an example in Peter's message, but I daily choose not to follow that example. The example I set for others is I'm no different from non-believers in this world. I live in and of this world with them, not apart from them by example.

Peter reminds us of the example Christ left for us to follow. I pray today and hopefully daily to set myself apart from this world, while remaining in this world, by following Christ's life as an example. When it's not popular to follow Christ or not convenient, I pray I choose Christ.

Devotion 5.1.23

1 Peter 2

9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

There are events in history that are truly "disruptive events." These events are disruptive because they impact a culture, its way of doing or thinking (or both), and are not always loud or explosive. Martin Luther provided one such event over 500 years ago when he nailed the theses to the door of the cathedral in Wittenberg, Germany. What started as a simple desire to dialogue and reform by citing areas to consider for reforms in the church at that time is now referred to as "The Reformation."

After that, an even more subtle but equally significant event occurred in 1522 (the New Testament translated from Latin into German) and 1534 (the full Bible translated into German from Latin). By putting the Bible into the language of the "common man," the world was changed dramatically. Luther again was at the forefront of this. LIke most disruptors in history, Luther was not seeking such a significant role, but rather sought to dialogue with those in power to make the changes for the better through a better understanding of God's Word. Luther coupled the new translation with a new gadget called the "printing press" to supply bibles to many as opposed to few. The impact was dramatic.

For example, today's passage from 1 Peter puts the title of "priesthood" on the reader or hearer of the epistle in Peter's day. This simple passage, as Luther discovered, is declaring that we are the holders of the title of "royal priesthood," able to declare God's Word and the message of Faith Alone, Grace Alone, and Scripture Alone. That is a radical shift in Peter's day and was again in Luther's day.

With these great shifts, though, comes great responsibility. By taking the role of the priesthood, we, as those marked by God to "declare the praises of him who called you (us) out of darkness," have an obligation and responsibility to then share that good news as Peter notes.

Today, unplug and prayerfully consider what that means for each of us as we consider the responsibility of being part of the "royal priesthood of all believers." Consider the impact of such a simple truth, the disruption of that on the status quo in history, and how many have sacrificed to give us such an honor and privilege to be God's chosen people, including His Son, Christ, whose suffering, death and resurrection released us from the bondage of sin, Satan and death.

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