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.

...

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