Rooted and Established – The Start of a Relationship

Dec 18 – Made New

This time of year seems to invite people to consider where they are spiritually.  There is more quiet time than usual (or maybe the quiet just seems louder because everyone gets so busy) and that quiet sometimes gets us to thinking.  What does it mean to invite God to be a part of my life?  Is that something I’m ready to do?  What might change about my life if I did that?  Lots of questions come to our minds.  Paul, the guy who wrote today’s scripture was praying for some specific things for people as they began their relationship with God.  One thing Paul alludes to that really can change our lives when we ask God to be a part of them is the presence and power of the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit is part of God.  It is His unseen presence in our lives that allows for God to speak to us in ways we don’t understand and His power in us that can change our lives for the better.

The other thing Paul prays for is that we would be able to grasp the vastness of God’s love and that we would be “filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”  That is one intense request!  He prays that we might do this by being “rooted and established in love.”  What do you think that means?  I’m not even too sure but here’s how I think of it – Think about a plant.  If you pour water into the soil where its roots are, what’s going to flow throughout the plant?  Water.  If you put soda into the soil instead, what is (presumably) going to flow through the plant?  Soda.  So…if we are rooted in love, what is going to flow through our lives?  Love.  When that is our foundation, it affects every part of us.  What else do roots do?  They hold the plant in place.  When the plant has been “established” – been planted long enough for it to have a chance to grow – the roots keep the plant from moving around too much and from collapsing.  And so it is with us…

Have you been rooted and established in love?  What would it look like in your life if you started planting those roots now?  In this Christmas season, I encourage you to spend some time thinking about where you are in your relationship with God.  Consider taking another step closer to Him and allowing Him to be an even greater part of your life.  Spend a little more time with Him and start giving Him control over some of the things in your life.  Then you really will begin to see the power of God living inside of you…

Don’t Lead – Follow!

Dec 4 – John 8:12 

 When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

Here’s another one of those “I am” statements from Jesus.  He makes a bunch of them, all of them pointing toward His identity as God since “I AM” is the name God gives Himself in the Old Testament (see Exodus 3:13-14).  They tell us a lot and very little at the same time.

Something stood out to me in this verse that I hadn’t noticed/thought about before.  Imagine yourself walking along a dark path with Jesus.  We’re talking DARK here, so much so that you can barely see to take your next step.  Where would you want your light to come from?  If it came from behind you, you would block your own line of sight.  YOU would get in the way of the light you so desperately need to see.  But, if it came from in front of you, you could easily see to walk.  Light radiates out.  And since Jesus Himself IS the light, He won’t block the light at all like He would if He were one of us carrying a flashlight.  Jesus doesn’t say that whoever walks with Him will not walk in darkness.  He doesn’t say that those who walk in front of Him will not walk in darkness.  He says the ones who will be able to see are those who follow Him.

Following is a difficult thing for a lot of people.  We want to be in control.  We want to make decisions.  We want to do things our way and follow our own path.  But Jesus wants us to follow Him, to give up that control we crave so much and instead, trust Him to lead us.

Where is Jesus walking in your life?  Is He in front helping you to see or is He behind you so that you get in the way of His light?  If you want to be able to see in the dark, let Him lead you just like He has always wanted to do. 

The Kingdom on Earth and Acceptable Worship

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving.  Mine was plenty busy and filled with the many cousins and other family I love so much.  DevoZines should be back right around the start of next week so we can get back on track!   

Nov 26 – Hebrews 12:28

Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe.

Two things about this stand out to me.  First of all, that the author says “we are a receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken.“  Hmm.  A kingdom.  That cannot be shaken.  That sounds so powerful to me.  Like the unshakeable kingdom itself would be earth-shaking.  That is here among us?  It seems so hard to believe sometimes, but it’s true.  The thing we have to remember is that our lives are what can bring that kingdom to life in a way that really is earth-shaking.  Today, choose a gospel (Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John) and read Jesus’ words.  Now, what if He really meant what He said?  Wouldn’t that be a crazy upside down kingdom?  Take a look and tell me if you agree.

The second thing that jumps out to me is that the author tells us to “worship God acceptably with reverence and awe.“  I don’t know about you but my worship involves some hand clapping, some singing, maybe some shouting if I’m doing certain David Crowder songs, and I might be moving my feet a little bit but “reverence and awe” would not be the words I would use to describe what I do.  As always, God is more concerned with the condition of our hearts than with our actions so I believe it is fully possible to be worshipping in the most fun ways and still be worshipping God in awe.  But let’s be honest – I think most of the time, we tend to miss that boat of reverence and awe.  What gets me about this verse is that it says to worship God acceptably in reverence and awe – reverence and awe are what is acceptable to God.  Reverence is “respect tinged with awe” and awe is described in part as being overwhelming.  Are you overwhelmed in your worship of God?  Take a look at a few verses from Job 38-41.  That inspires awe of God rather quickly.

Something that both frustrates me and comforts me about our relationship with God is that we are never finished.  We will never be perfect.  We will never be like God.  There will always be deeper places of God to explore and darker places of ourselves to expose.  And God will continue to shape us and awe us and recreate us.  Beautiful, isn’t it?

You Get A Daily Choice!

All right.  No more devo skipping for me, DevoZine or no DevoZine!    Biblegateway.com has a verse of the day that I’ll use from here on out until I get the DevoZines in the mail.

Nov 8 – Joshua 24:15

But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.

It’s interesting to me that Joshua truly lays this before the people.  He gives them a choice – “Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve.”  The wonderful and frightening thing is that we are each given this choice every single day.  The choice we make daily will determine many of our actions and will influence the ways we interact with people.  Jesus addresses this point in Luke 9:23 when he says, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” [italics mine]  What happens if you choose to follow Jesus?  How do you act?  What about if you choose to follow something else?  Maybe you would rather not choose, but a famous Bob Dylan song speaks true - ”You Gotta Serve Somebody.” 

The other thing that stands out to me about this verse is the last line – “As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”  Joshua takes a strong stance here.  He makes a statement as the spiritual leader of the household and declares where his family stands.  This is the kind of firm commitment we need to make in our lives each day and it is the kind of commitment parents make that creates a family founded on faith.  What kind of faith home are you in now?  What kind of faith home did you grow up in?  How did that influence what your faith means to you now?  I encourage you to make that commitment or at least to explore what it would mean for your life.  Now is a great time be asking questions! 

A Truly Irresistible Revolution

Oct 20-21  Another Way is Possible

If you are ready to have your world, the way you think, the way you live, and the way you view Jesus and the Scriptures turned completely upside down, read The Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne.  It is not for the faint of heart.  It is not for the apathetic.  It is for those genuinely willing to abandon the systems and values of this world and follow Jesus into the kingdom of God on Earth that He envisioned in the first place.

It is so hard to attempt to explain a worldview in a couple of short paragraphs, but it is far harder to put this worldview into practice.  How would your life be different if, for every action you took and every dollar you spent, you considered the global impact you might have?  What if you were brutally honest in asking ”what would Jesus do” in every situation – and then you actually followed through with that?  Do the clothing companies you buy from pay their international laborers a fair wage?  What about the coffee growers of the coffee you drink?  What about statements of Jesus that we would like to ignore like when He says to His disciples in Luke 12:33 “Sell your possessions and give to the poor”?  What if Jesus really meant what He said?

I am absolutely nohere near living this way.  I am nowhere near abandoning the comfort and convenience I have grown accustomed to to follow in Jesus’ footsteps, but I am learning.  I am learning about community, about the beauty in relying on one another for everything, about the power in sharing life and resources.  I am learning to let go of things, to recognize that they will fade and rust and disappear and that other people need them a whole lot more than I do.

I encourage you, if you are willing and if you are brave enough, to take a look at your life through Shane Claiborne’s eyes.  I believe he has powerful words to share with all of us that perhaps will reawaken us to the spirit of Jesus which can be so much more real than we allow it to be.

*For more information on Shane Claiborne and the Philadelphia community he co-founded, please visit thesimpleway.org

End Poverty? Really?

Oct 18 – $2 A Day

Deuteronomy 15:4-8, 10

     There should be no poor among you, for in the land the LORD your God is giving you to possess as your inheritance, he will richly bless you, if only you fully obey the LORD your God and are careful to follow all these commands I am giving you today.  For the LORD your God will bless you as he has promised, and you will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. You will rule over many nations but none will rule over you.
     If there is a poor man among your brothers in any of the towns of the land that the LORD your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward your poor brother.  Rather be openhanded and freely lend him whatever he needs…Give generously to him and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to.

Verses like this are so easily pushed aside.  It is easier to ignore the possibility that poverty could be taken care of rather than admit the consequences of the lifestyles so many of us have adopted and change the way we live.  Today, we are fond of saying that these verses are idealistic and impossible.  Maybe we group them in with other Old Testament verses and say that they don’t apply to us in the world today.  But then, after Jesus comes and brings God’s kingdom to earth, we see the newly born church living just this way: 

Acts 2:44-45, 4:32-35

All the believers were together and had everything in common.  Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need…All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all. There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need.

Move toward making this a reality, even if it’s just with baby steps at first.  Half the world lives on $2 a day or less.  Join with some friends and live on $2 a day for a week to really see what that’s like.  Or reconsider your spending with the knowledge that $1 can give clean water to a person in Africa for a year.  Become aware of other people around you, both locally and globally, and do some research to find out where the money you spend is going.  Imagine what it could be like….

Pressure Rising – Warring Voices and REALLY Trusting God

Oct 1 – Soul Pressure

Have you ever felt the kind of urges this poem talks about?  Part of you is being dragged toward this temptation, toward something you know you should stay away from for your own good.  Maybe it will do harm to your body, maybe it will put a rift between you and God, maybe it will hurt someone else – but the pull is unmistakeable.  I’ve felt it before.  So many times.  It’s so easy to spew out your anger at someone, so thrilling to do something that’s against the rules…

But then, there’s that other pull.  It’s quieter than the other one and often easier to ignore.  You’ve felt it too, haven’t you?  Part of you sees a way out, knows what you should do, who you should call, how to get away.  You want to listen to that voice but what it asks you to do is harder than the alternative.  And this voice is so soft; the other is loud, forceful even.  It turns into a battle. 

I don’t know who wins.  Sometimes we let the louder voice drive us.  But other times, our hearts and minds are ready to follow the voice of God that we recognize so clearly.

God has promised that “[he] is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it” (1 Corinthians 10:13).  Be ready to listen to that voice and praise God for His faithfulness to us.

Oct 2 – Freedom

I can totally identify with the author of today’s devo.  Have you ever known that God was asking you to do something you weren’t so sure about?  Maybe it was different from the path that all your friends were taking or maybe it was just different than the path you expected (and were originally hoping for).  I know that my original expectations for my life have been nowhere near where God has taken me.  His plan has been less traditional than I thought it would be and far more exhilarating.  There have been unexpected changes, bigger dreams, and more responsibility.  It has been amazing.

But there are times of waiting too.  There’s nothing like a deadline approaching to make a person nervous and uptight, especially when it involves making a major life decision or even just turning in some important paper.  What does it take to let go of that stress and allow ourselves to trust God?  A lot!  It’s really hard!

Do you believe that God can be trusted?  It’s one thing to answer “yes” to that question, but it’s another thing to live as though we trust Him.  Philippians 4:6 says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”  Let Him lead you in His timing and allow Him to take you out of the box of your expectations.  Trust Him even when you’re afraid He won’t answer.  It won’t always be the easiest thing – it may even be the hardest – but it will always be the best.

Jesus in You and A Loaded Question

Sept 26 – Through the Window

Ah.  What a neat story.  To see Jesus in someone’s eyes – that is a rare privilege and a powerful compliment.  Have you ever seen Jesus in someone?

A couple of weeks from now, we’ll get to read about a guy named Shane Claiborne.  He wrote a book recently and this story reminds me of one of the things he shared.  Shane was able to spend some time serving alongside Mother Teresa in the Home for the Destitute and Dying where their goal was not to keep people alive but to allow them to die with dignity and give them some much-deserved pampering in the last stages of life.  He says:

Over and over, the dying and the lepers would whisper the mystical word namaste in my ear…They explained to me that namaste means ‘I honor the Holy One who lives in you’…Was it possible…that in my eyes, they could catch a glimpse of the image of my Lover?

What do you think?  Does your life, the way you live and love, reflect the Holy One who lives in you?  Who have you met who reflects clearly the image of Jesus?  Maybe they have a peace about them that doesn’t make sense or maybe they love in selfless ways that you just don’t understand.  

May we learn to follow our Savior in such a way that people see Jesus when they look at us and may we learn to see Jesus in others in the places we least expect Him.

Sept 27 – What We Believe

Let’s take a look at the beginning part of today’s Scripture, shall we?

Mark 8:27-29a says this:

Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them, “Who do people say I am?”

 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.”

 ”But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”

“Who do you say I am?“  Six words.  Incredible significance.  This has to be one of the most loaded questions in the entire Bible.  Our lives, both present and future, rest on our response.  Who do you say Jesus is?

If you have a quick and easy answer, great.  But if He has become a little too familiar (as He has for me) or if you’ve never really thought about who this Jesus guy is, take the time to (re)consider Him.  Talk it out with some friends, a pastor, or a youth leader.  Talk it out here on this blog.  Thank God for giving us the Bible to learn about who He is and who Jesus is so that the question He asks us is one that can be answered and explored. 

Staying Empty and Drifting with God

Sept 20 – Unique to the Core

Hmm…After doing some additional research, apparently the difference between “pottery” and “ceramics” is not so distinct as the author today may make it seem.  However, her points are well taken – indeed, like handmade pots, no two people created by God are alike, even as much as they may look alike from the outside.

What is the purpose of a pot?  There’s pretty much only one practical use as far as I can tell – to hold something.  What if a potter made something that looked like a pot but was actually solid through and through, more like a vase-shaped sculpture?  Wouldn’t that defeat the purpose?  We are those empty pots.  God created us with space inside our hearts to be filled by him.  Jesus speaks to a woman at a well about His ability to provide her with living water, water that won’t run out (John 4:10-14).  Unfortunately, what happens so often is that we try to fill our empty lives with things other than God.  Anything we put in other than Him leaves a residue, thickening the walls of our hearts and eventually shrinking the capacity that we can hold or blocking the opening completely for God to fill us up with the Life that He brings.

So start now!  Much like the “center” conversation we had a few days ago, let God fill up your life and your heart.  Spend time with Him.  Do your best to follow Him and build your relationship with Him.  In time, you will be like David in Psalm 23 who says that his cup overflows!

Sept 21 – A Feather on the Breath of God

Floating on the wind of God – wow.  What an image.  Have you ever been unsure about something significant in your life?  Maybe it was a major test grade or wondering how your life would change after your parents divorced.  Maybe it was a fight with a close friend or moving to a new city.  Depending on where you are in life, you may have had to choose which school you were going to or what path to follow after you graduated.  Those times of uncertainty can leave you upset and wondering where God is.  But I can honestly say from my own experience, especially in the last year and a half, there are few times in life when God has the chance to show Himself as much as He does in those times.  When you’re “a feather on the breath of God,” you could end up anywhere!  God could open any door for you – you might make some new and wonderful friendships or move to a city you didn’t know you could love.  You could discover a new hobby that gets you through a tough time or find a passion you never knew you had. 

As hard as it is to wait and trust God sometimes, enjoy the ride!  You’re not the first to deal with this in-between time.  Psalm 27:14 says “Wait for ther Lord; be strong and take heart and wait on the Lord.”  It is, by far, the most exhilarating way to live and drifting on the wind of God is sure to lead you exactly where He sends you.

A Hard Verse and An Only Child

Sept 3 – Twins for Christ

The squib (fun word) for today starts out with a verse that has always been a difficult one for people to read and understand.  Luke 14:26 quotes Jesus saying “You cannot be my disciple, unless you love me more than you love your father and mother, your wife and children, and your brothers and sisters…”  Some translations even say “If anyone come to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters – yes, even his own life – he cannot be my disciple.” [italics mine]  That sounds so harsh!  Let’s look at it in context and see if it makes more sense:

Start in Luke 14:25 (if you don’t have a Bible, use the BibleGateway.com link at the bottom of this page).  Large crowds were following Jesus and then He turns to them and says basically that they can’t be His disciples unless they hate their family.  Then He continues by asking them a few questions – If you wanted to build a tower, wouldn’t you first figure out if you had enough money to build it?  If a king is about to go to war against another king, shouldn’t he first figure out if his army will be able to stand up against the opposing forces? 

So what do towers and strategy have to do with Jesus?

Building something huge, going to war – these things require a major commitment.  You either give everything you have to that project or it fails.  Before making the huge decision to proceed with either of these, you have to consider the cost of what you’re about to undertake – it might cost you more than you’re willing to give up.  Being Jesus’ disciple requires the same kind of commitment and consideration.  Have you thought about the cost of following Christ?  Are you willing to give up everything?  (There’s a reason this is called a “narrow road”! – Matthew 7:13-14) 

I think our author in DevoZine, Ryan, makes a great point about the first verse we looked at – even though he was extremely close to his twin sister, once they were separated, he was able to realize that Jesus was the ultimate sibling, the ultimate father and mother, the ultimate companion.  Our lives should be focused on and lived for Him alone, even above our families.

The journal questions for today are great:  What does it mean to you that Christ is your brother?  How close are you?  What can you do to strengthen this relationship?  What would it mean to make Christ Number One in your life?

Sept 4 – Sisters

As soon as I saw the topic for this first week of September, I laughed.  I’m supposed to write stuff about siblings when I don’t even have any???  How is that going to work? 

Yes, it’s true.  I am an only child.  I realize that there aren’t very many of us so, if you’ve never met one, now you have!  (Let’s just get this out of the way now – yes, some of us are spoiled rotten, but most of us are just plain spoiled, just like you are, ok?  )

Over the years, so many people have asked me, “You’re an only child?  Wow.  Did you like it?”  Well, this is real life and, like anything in real life, being an only child has its high points and low points.  I must admit that, even in fairly recent years, I have had times when I wanted a sibling.  When I was younger, I used to ask for a little sister all the time, like most kids do.  And now that I’m older, I’ve seen some really beautiful sibling relationships that make me wonder.But there are two really neat things I want to point out —  

Proverbs 18:24 says, “…there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.”  Even if you don’t have siblings, be encouraged!  God has given us people in our lives with whom we can build relationships that are even closer than the ones we have with our family.

Secondly, if you have some time, take a look at the friendship between David (yes, David-and-Goliath David, King David – it’s all the same guy) and Jonathan.  You can read most of their story in 1 Samuel 18-20.  Jonathan was the son of Saul who was king of Israel just before David was.  If God hadn’t intervened, Jonathan would have been king instead of David but not even this could come between them.  These two men of God had one of the closest friendships in the whole Bible.  It is those kinds of friendships that reassure me as an only child that God has not given me any less ability to love.

As God would have it, I found sisters too.  I’m not in a sorority like the devo’s author, but my roommates from my senior year of college are, oddly enough, both only children as well.  We share as sisters, act as sisters, laugh as sisters, and love as sisters, and I could not be more thankful for their presence in my life.  

Today, spend some time thanking God for the siblings you have, even if they’re not related to you.  And if you’re an only child feeling particularly lonely today, know that you are not alone and that God is more than able to fill that void with Himself and in time, may bring along friends to be the siblings you never had.