Devotion (Wednesday)—Jeremiah 17:5-14

The human mind is more deceitful than anything else. It is incurably bad. Who can understand it? Jeremiah 19:9 NET

Every other translation I checked said that it was the heart, not the mind that was so deceitful. But even those translations go on in verse 10 to say that the Lord searches the mind and tries the heart.  I believe it’s safe to say that our hearts and minds are both deeply connected and infected. Looking at this passage we see God’s problem: those created in his image have an incurable habit of trusting in their own human strength and that of others. To God, this constitutes idolatry and turning away from him. Our commitment to our independence from God carries with it a potent curse.

Trusting in the flesh leaves us in a fog. Even the good things we’ve been given go unappreciated. Those trusting in their flesh are like plants with no root systems. Isn’t this the essence of the heart that Jeremiah finds so incomprehensible–its propensity to leave God out of the equation (and at such high cost)? But there is hope:

 My blessing is on those people who trust in me, who put their confidence in me. They will be like a tree planted near a stream whose roots spread out toward the water. It has nothing to fear when the heat comes. Its leaves are always green. It has no need to be concerned in a year of drought. It does not stop bearing fruit.

When the Lord searches the mind and tests the heart, it’s not because he doesn’t know what’s there. He takes us through this process so we might see and take responsibility for our misplaced trust (aka: repentance), trust in our own flesh and in others.

The scriptures tell us that a young man rejoices in his strength. Although the memory is getting progressively hazier, I do recall that season of flexing. No doubt I am holding on to shreds of it still. But this I know: there is far less cause for rejoicing at 63 than there was at 32. It was not only my physical strength I rejoiced in as a younger man; it was also in my wits, which I used to think things through and my will, with which I got things done. The flesh is self-reliant. It has that I-can-do-it-myself quality about it (especially in religion). It is independent and proud, while at the same time terribly insecure, always trying to establish its identity, asserting its importance and vying for territory it can claim as its own. As sentinels we vigilantly and foolishly protect that which must die from death, thus perpetuating the curse.

It is my experience in following Christ that his searching and testing methods permit the moths and rust to have their way with my fleshly agendas, however hallowed I deem them. I’ll be honest; I’m no hero – this process has seemed utterly cruel. But for over 38 years I have seen his wisdom play out. Had I not been in school with Christ, my delusions would have been perpetuated regarding my own strength: I would have missed the prize, which is God himself. He wanted to spare me from competing for worldly trophies (some of which I might have even won) so that I could gain Christ alone and learn to be content in Him regardless of my circumstances. 

The process looks like Jacob and God wrestling where he lets us exhaust ourselves so that after the final round we leave with our flesh and human strength disabled (hopefully crucified with Him) as a memorial to the test. As these heart and mind-tests of discipleship play out, it is likely that others will not see or appreciate the process of our transformation. It may seem as though God is out to get us. In a way, He is, but for reasons we don’t quite yet fathom. His ways and means are too high: we cannot attain to them.

Father, your ways are, in certain seasons, painfully higher than our ways. Grant us perseverance to endure the tests that we might gain the prize. Purge the deceit from our hearts that we may be at peace and rest in you and within ourselves. Produce in us hearts and minds secure in their identities, free from the strife of our flesh, hearts that are satisfied in you alone. Help us to watch over our hearts with all diligence that the living water can overflow. Amen.

 

 

 

 

Devotion (Sunday) – 1 Chronicles 22:17-19

1 Chronicles 22:17-19

David also commanded all the leaders of Israel to help his son Solomon, saying, “Is not the Lord your God with you? And has He not given you rest on every side? For He has given the inhabitants of the land into my hand, and the land is subdued before the Lord and before His people. Now set your heart and your soul to seek the Lord your God; arise, therefore, and build the sanctuary of the Lord God, so that you may bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord and the holy vessels of God into the house that is to be built for the name of the Lord.”

In the old testament the sanctuary of the Lord was a building; in the new testament it becomes human hearts. That a holy God would inhabit a fallen man with a will of his own as opposed to a neutral stack of bricks and mortar is a radical concept isn’t it?  Holy God living in fallen man!  Do we truly grasp this scandalous concept?

Why I ask this is that it is Sunday morning and most of us will soon be heading out to our various places of worship. Many of us entering these buildings were taught since infancy, with hands clasped, “Here’s the church”, with index fingers pointed skyward, “Here’s the steeple” with clasped hands turned upside down revealing 10 wiggly digits, “Ta da! Here’s all the people!” And, as we grew and regularly entered the building, we were taught a new ditty…..

Up there’s the pastor /  Beneath him, his staff / Lower yet, the pews / Where the people are counted.

I know. It doesn’t rhyme. But it doesn’t have to for it to do its job. It becomes established by tradition. Although, its a misnomer, maybe we can call this free-verse, where rhyming is forgiven. Our indoctrination into religion continues though with the next verse….

With Pastor is bible / Taught him by masters /  Mama has chewed her food / Now shares it with her chicks

This poem not only does not rhymeIt makes no sense if the new testament still remains a plumb line of truth.

Churches have their doctrinal statements and their bylaws but far far more powerful than those documents are the traditions of men branded over time into our hearts and minds – becoming hallowed (therefore un-challengable) by practice. All our unspoken practices form the rigid wineskin of our religious sub-culture where trust and dependency are inordinately and unintentionally placed on things that would never have entered the minds of the apostles, prophets and teachers of the powerful early church.

While our childhood rhyme is cute, it turns out that it is by no means innocent. Neither are the extra-biblical ideas it spawned in our institutions where unfathomable amounts of resources have been devoted to maintaining the bricks and mortar while the mystery of Christ in us (the temples of God) has gone overlooked.

I propose that we inaugurate a new church tradition. We can call it Biblical Church Day where we devote our honor to the new testament church. On BC Day, we will not attend the buildings which the early church never had. We won’t participate in a single program which they would have never conceived of.  We will simply gather in small groups and perhaps read the scriptures. We can share a meal together.  Perhaps we could call it communion. In our gatherings, we will not only remember Jesus and the blood he shed but also the church for which it was so effectually shed – the new testament church, the last (and coming) wineskin strong enough to turn the world upside down.

As I am sure you have perceived, I am proposing that our good-vision of church (which admittedly has done and still does so much good) may be at cross-purposes with a best-vision – a kingdom– driven vision that was inaugurated with Jesus and is about to be rediscovered in our own hearts. In the coming kingdom we shall not only see good delivered through the institutional mechanism but we shall see abundance Life expressed through a living body of saints whose identities as kingdom citizens, sons and friends have been restored.

As the army breaks camp, leaves behind its dependencies on the old wineskin, transfers them to Christ, the head of the Church, it will rediscover the more broadly distributed gifts of pastor, prophet (and perhaps even apostles) operating in ways that reinforce the fact that in Christ, we have always had everything we need. While my comments cannot be reconciled with our traditions and will sadden if not anger some, I pray that the stones might be put back on the ground and some might instead pick up the pen and tell me where I have erred biblically. Or -perhaps explain to me that along the way, our traditions did get the holy stamp of approval at the council of  This or That and I just missed it.

Father, may you inaugurate the culture of your kingdom and eclipse our traditions with the simplistic, powerful radically good news of your son. May we burst with wonder and joy as we discover that he has been dwelling in us all all along waiting to be re-birthed into a world and creation starving for the inevitable freedom of the sons of God. We answer, “Yes Lord, truly you are with us! In you, we have rest! In us you shall subdue your enemies. We shall set our hearts and our souls to seek you. We shall arise and acknowledge with awe and wonder, that we ourselves are the flesh and blood, spirit sanctuaries in which you now dwell.” How absolutely astonishing! Thanks you.

Devotion (Saturday) – 1 Timothy 4:1-16

1 Timothy 4:1-16

                                                        Teach with Your Life

The Spirit makes it clear that as time goes on, some are going to give up on the faith and chase after demonic illusions….

You’ve been raised on the Message of the faith and have followed sound teaching. Now pass on this counsel to the followers of Jesus, and you’ll be a good servant of Jesus. Stay clear of silly stories that get dressed up as religion. Exercise daily in God—no spiritual flabbiness, please! Workouts in the gymnasium are useful, but a disciplined life in God is far more so, making you fit both today and forever. You can count on this. Take it to heart….. 

Get the word out. Teach all these things. And don’t let anyone put you down because you’re young. Teach believers with your life: by word, by demeanor, by love, by faith, by integrity. Stay at your post reading Scripture, giving counsel, teaching. And that special gift of ministry you were given when the leaders of the church laid hands on you and prayed—keep that dusted off and in use. Cultivate these things. Immerse yourself in them. The people will all see you mature right before their eyes! Keep a firm grasp on both your character and your teaching. Don’t be diverted. Just keep at it. Both you and those who hear you will experience salvation. (MSG)

Jim is the author of the Blue Book which some of us use as a launching pad into our devotions. Thousands of people who have discovered this non-copyrited, unadvertised devotional will point to it as having opened a door into God’s heart for them. I can testify that a small army of BB devotees in Oklahoma will be forever grateful to Jim for doing what today’s passage describes – teaching us with his life.

JIm spent much of his adult life with an organization that served high school students. In that context, he did what this verse describes – he took the Message to heart; He exercised daily in God; He got the word out; he passed it along to others; but most importantly he learned to teach believers with his life: by word, by demeanor, by love, by faith, by integrity. He kept his ministry gifts dusted off and in use. He cultivated and immersed himself in them. He has kept a firm grasp on his character and teaching.

A bit more about Jim: He graduated from that youth ministry and was promoted into the larger theater of everyday life where he simply kept at it. While the process of graduation might have been unpleasant, he was not diverted. Jim is an extraordinary ordinary man not because of his world wide ministry and support base but because he has been maturing right before the eyes of those around him. Because Jim has been teaching us with his life, both he and those who are connected to him are experiencing salvation (which is eternally more than just avoiding hell!)

In the current wineskins of christian understanding which require buildings, budgets, digital media, religious professionals and their staffs, it might be easy to overlook Jim’s greatest contribution – the vision he is casting as a prototypical citizen of God’s kingdom.  He has no real title.  He has no large sending organization behind him. What he does have is Christ in him and he has others Christ loves around him. He has the scripturesthe Spirit and the circumstances through which he is working out his salvation – the exact things God has equipped you and I with.  Jim’s authentic life casts down the illusion that the kingdom of God’s expansion is  dependent on professional religious workers with their buildings and budgets. It simply is not so. The kingdom is dependent on Christ alone, Christ in us. 

If religious institutions are going to make a contribution to the ever expanding kingdom of God it will be the ones that figure out how to cast the same vision that Jim is infected with which has equipped him to live out of the life of Christ in him  – loving those God entrusts to him with the unique gifts God has placed in Him, which makes him (and can make us) the extraordinary ordinary people tasked to build the eternal kingdom of God.

Father, for a little while longer we will be in the world with you but not of it. Your Life shall radiate from us in such a way that the world will see you and will glorify you. Come quickly Lord, not to rapture us out of this fallen place but to empower and equip us to overcome and take dominion of this planet as you originally intended. Thy kingdom come and thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

 

 

 

Devotion (Thursday) – Revelation 3:14-22

Revelation 3:14-22

I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth. Because you say, “I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,” and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked, I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see. Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me. He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.'”

One religious term we have assigned to our side of the relational exchange with God is devotion.  Accordingly, I might have framed my invitation thus, “Let’s explore this passage together in this morning’s daily devotion.”  While I know devotion is a good word it sounds strangely one-sided and flat to me. “Peter are you devoted to me more than these?” “Yes Lord you know that I am devoted to you.”

I wonder if the Lord too doesn’t find us a bit strange as we apply our wills in order to “do” our daily devotion. How intimate (sarcasm intended). I am not sure what being luke warm means or exactly what God meant by spitting these people from his mouth but I could well imagine this bland flavor of devotion being a bit hard to swallow.

I once heard President Bush speak. Half of his sentences began with, “Here’s the deal.” (Thanks GW because we really really do want to know what the deal is.) In this passage I believe God is pretty much saying, “Here’s the deal. We have a situation here. I know your deeds but you do not. ”

I believe God does want us to, but the sad consequence of the Adamic-plunge is that we simply do not see ourselves vey honestly. In fact, while we are thinking, all is well with our souls, he can be saying our heart’s are impoverished. The Spirit is saying that he has eye salve that, when applied, will enable us to see. In the same breath he says that he reproves those whom he loves. I believe the salve that opens our eyes and leads us to repentance is generated by the heat of God’s refining and disciplining love.  Not all by any means, but some of life’s experiences, are permitted as God’s searchings and testings to see if there are things operating in our hearts that are hurtful to us and those he has entrusted to us.

I believe that even while we remain in a fleshly body we can walk in the Spirit. This means that while there is a propensity toward deceit, we, at the same time, have hearts that are now kindred to Truth and we are called to walk in Truth. Far greater is the Truth within us than any appealing lie from within or without. The Truth is always standing at the door of our hearts, knocking and saying, “I want to give you gold refined by fire. I know its almost unbearably hot at times but eventually, if you will persevere, this faith I have given you, that is being purified, will one day, sooner than you might imagine, be of inestimable value.

For the record, I am not advocating a devotional practice of intentional introspection where we take it upon ourselves to search out the dark places of our hearts. I have tried this style of devotion and I discovered God at my door knocking, if not loudly, at least persistently with specific instruction to cease and desist preoccupation with my fallenness.

I think this type of fleshly-repentance is also nauseating to God. There are many voices at our door seeking entrance. Unfortunately, for many of us religious souls, the voice we hear is “You had best straighten up and fly right or I will reject you.” If we are to watch over our hearts with all diligence, we must learn to not let that speaker in. He is our accuser. He means us great harm.

What I hear these days is not, “You better open this door to me and do some devotionals or I’ll be repulsed.” No, what I hear is more like, “That white garment becomes you.  I hope you grow more and more comfortable in it. Sit here on the throne with me. Let’s live out my overcoming life in you together. And, by the way, I love you and our time together. Let’s keep doing that.” This is pretty much what the conversation between the Lord and I sounds like when I diligently watch over my heart – keeping the accusatory voice at bay. Because I cherish the flow of our conversation (not a devotional), I am more alert than ever to watch over my heart in this way.

What a precious thing it is that we might call you our Father and friend. Oh Lord, that we might not debase and undermine our relationship with formulas and techniques. Help us to reconsider our orientation to you in light of your finished work that has clothed us in your very own righteousness and given us bold access to your throne. Teach us to presume, in childlike wonder, upon your goodness. Give us ears to hear what you are saying to your Church. Let it be.

 

Devotion (Wednesday) – Jeremiah 17:5-14

Jeremiah 17:5-14

The human mind is more deceitful than anything else. It is incurably bad. Who can understand it? Jeremiah 19:9 New English Translation

Every other translation I checked said that it was the heart, not the mind that was so deceitful. But even those translations go on in verse 10 to say that the Lord searches the mind and tries the heart.  I believe it is safe to say that our hearts and minds are both deeply connected and  infected. Looking at this passage we see God’s problem; those created in his image have an incurable (at least at the time of this statement) habit of trusting in their own human strength and that of others. To God, this constitutes turning away from him.  Our commitment to our independence from God carries with it a potent curse.

Trusting in the flesh leaves us in a fog. Even the good things we have been given go unappreciated. Those trusting in their flesh are like plants with no root system. Isn’t this the essence of the heart that Jeremiah finds so incomprehensible – its propensity to leave God out of the equation (and such a high cost)? But there is hope;

My blessing is on those people who trust in me, who put their confidence in me. They will be like a tree planted near a stream whose roots spread out toward the water. It has nothing to fear when the heat comes. Its leaves are always green. It has no need to be concerned in a year of drought. It does not stop bearing fruit.

When the Lord searches the mind and tests the heart its not because he doesn’t know whats there. He takes us through this process so we will hopefully see and take responsibility for our misplaced trust (aka; repentence), those places where we are trusting in our flesh or that of others.

The scriptures tell us that a young man rejoices in his strength. Although its progressively hazy, I do recall that season of flexing. No doubt I am holding on to shreds of it still.  But this I know; there is far less cause for rejoicing at 62 than there was at 32. It was not only my physical strength I rejoiced in as a younger man; it was also in my wits which I used to think things through and my will with which I got things done. The flesh is self-reliant. It has that I-can-do-it-myself quality about it (especially in religion). It is independent and proud while at the same time terribly insecure, always trying to establish its identity, asserting its importance and vying for territory which it can claim as its own. As sentinels we vigilantly and foolishly protect that which must die from death thus perpetuation the curse.

It is my experience in following Christ that his searching and testing methods permit the moths and rust to have their way with my fleshly agendas however hallowed I may have deemed them.  At times (most all of it frankly) the process has seemed utterly cruel but over 37 years I have seen his wisdom in it. Had I not been in school with Christ, my delusions would have been perpetuated regarding my own strength; I would have missed the prize which is God himself. He wanted to spare me from competing for worldly trophies (some of which I might have even won) so that I could gain Christ alone and learn to be content in Him regardless of my circumstances. 

The process looks like Jacob and God wrestling where he lets us exhaust ourselves so that after the final round we leave with our flesh and human strength disabled (hopefully crucified with Him) as a memorial to the test. As these heart and mind-tests of discipleship play out it is likely that others will not see or appreciate the process of transformation we are in.  It may seem as though God is out to get us and indeed He is, but for reasons we don’t yet quite fathom. His ways and means are too high; we cannot attain to them.

Father, your ways are, in certain seasons, painfully higher than our ways. Grant us perseverence  to endure the tests that we might gain the prize. Purge the deceit from our hearts that we may be at peace and rest in you and within ourselves. Produce in us hearts and minds that are secure in their identities, free from the strife of our flesh, hearts that are satisfied in you alone. Help us to watch over our hearts with all diligence that the living water can overflow. Amen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Devotion (Tuesday) – 2 Peter 1:3-11

2 Peter 1:3-11

One of Jesus’ bond-slaves, in this case Peter, is offering others who are sharing in a faith equal to his, a  condensed summary of how to live as Christian. Parts of this passage are very popular, perhaps most familiar is, “He has given us…his precious and wonderful promises.” Oh how we love his promises! Let’s look at just three of them.  In verse 3; “God has bestowed on us, through his divine power, everything that we need for life and godliness.” Verse 4; “..that you may become partakers of his divine nature.”  And vs 11; “ You will have, richly laid out before you, an entrance into the kingdom of God’s coming age, the kingdom of our Lord and savior Jesus the Messiah.”

In the contemporary practice of the Christian religion the gospel has been corrupted with some ideas that need to be addressed if we are to ever radiate much light. One of them is the idea that Peter was a bond-slave, but we are just believers. Peter was called to build the church; we, on the other hand are called to just attend one. Without buildings and programs to attend, this idea would have been nonsensical to Peter’s audience. It should be ludicrous to us as well. I believe Peter’s audience not only shared a faith on par to his but also a clear understanding that, “We are no longer our own masters. We have been bought with an exceedingly high price. We too are bond-slaves of Jesus Christ.”

That is why we pick and choose the verses which appeal to us the most. We who remain our own masters ate those who omit the meet of today’s passage…

So, because of this, you should strain every nerve to supplement your faith with virtue, and your virtue with knowledge, and your knowledge with self control, and your self control with patience, and your patience with piety, and your piety with family affection, and your family affection with love. If you have these things in plentiful supply, you see, you will not be wasting your time, or failing to bear fruit, in relation to your knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ the Messiah. Someone who doesn’t have these things, in fact is so short-sighted as to be actually blind, and has forgotten what it means to be cleansed from earlier sins. So, my dear family, you must make the effort all the more to confirm that God has called you and chosen you. If you do this, you will never trip up. 2 Peter 1:5-10

As a very young believer, I did trip up one weekend. The sense of betrayal I felt was intense because I had experienced the power of God in my conversion and had enjoyed his presence for many weeks. As I sought his forgiveness, he spoke to me in the clearest, most profoundly intimate way imaginable saying, “In your life you are going to fall many times but if you will reach up to me, I will never fail to rescue you.” As I wept and laughed and rejoiced (as I was driving) something was deeply reinforced between God and myself. It was, “I am his and he is mine.”

The next time I fell and was bogged down in the mire of darkened thoughts such as excuses and rationalizations, I didn’t just wait for God to reach down and lift me up. I had to reach up, as he had instructed me, and this was more than just asking. His rescues always involve the thinking and the choosing associated with faith, knowledge, self control, patience and love.  As his son, this is how I confirmed that he had indeed chosen and called me. In this reaching up my hand, I experienced the promises we looked at. I discovered he really had bestowed sufficient divine power to get up and resume the journey and that he really had richly laid out a kingdom before me to inherit.

I do not know how God will do this but somehow the roles of Jesus as Savior and Jesus as Lord must be reconnected for western christianity to ever radiate much light. I do not believe that Christ ever intended there to be a track for “called” and super zealous disciples and a seperate one for those who just believe and attend a local church. Peter clearly explains that the divine life of God with us is evidenced by a merger of our faith and our will power that produces a vigorous and intentional lifestyle. He concludes by saying, the presence of this lifestyle is how his called ones assure their hearts of their calling as well as have a rich entrance into the kingdom of God.

Father, let those prophets emerge in the body of Christ with their grace filled words of correction. Let the stock value crash of those who only preach of the appealing promises. Let our hearts be incised with the scalpel of your word cutting away any delusions we may be entertaining about our faith. May your Word and Spirit prevail in our hearts. Amen